The exhibition Art commission. Designs for the Church after 1945 brings together a representative selection of sacral objects and other gold and silversmith works for the Protestant and Catholic churches in Germany. It focuses on works made from the post-war period to the present day. In their diverse forms, these pieces reference different tasks resulting from their use during church services or other ecclesiastical celebrations.
Sacral objects serve the celebration of faith and contain a special meaning within the rites. In their function, they go beyond the material, embodying ideal values. They are often designed for the place where they are used. This functional and local connection is one reason why sacral vessels are often commissioned or put out to competition. Previous historical and contemporary competition entries from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst and the Staatliche Zeichenakademie Hanau illustrate this.
The exhibition is a reflection of the diversity and individual characteristics of modern sacral objects. In particular, the juxtaposition with works from the pre-war years show the creative development of gold and silversmith work for sacred areas after 1945. Designed by craftspeople, artists and designers, the ritual objects on display pursue the claim of high design and craftsmanship quality. As the thought process evoked by these objects is central to their design, preliminary models are on display in the exhibition with equal footing to the finished pieces.
Presented alongside works by Elisabeth Treskow, Fritz Schwerdt and Friedrich Becker are objects by Rudolf Bott, Juliane Schölß, Bruno Sievering-Tornow, and other silversmiths.
The exhibition was curated by Christoph Engel and Malte Guttek and brought about by the Goldschmiedehaus team. We would like to thank the artists and lenders for their generous support, as well as the Sparkasse Hanau Foundation and the Main-Kinzig district for their funding.