Lechter, Melchior, 1865-1937

German writer.

From the description of Papers relating to the "George-Kreis," ca. 1891-1934. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 78991692

German decorative artist and book illustrator associated with Stefan George.

From the description of Letters to Heinrich Heim, 1924-1936. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 78701760

Lechter was a German artist, best known for his work in the decorative design of books and ex libris, stained glass windows and painting. He was an active participant in the circle of artists and writers around the poet, Stefan George.

From the description of Melchior Lechter papers, 1879-1937. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 82093002

Biographical/Historical Note

The artist Melchior Lechter is best known for his glass paintings, drawings and decorative designs for books, calendars, catalogs, ex libris and posters. He also designed furniture, carpets, wallpaper and stained glass windows. The outline of his life which follows notes many of the highlights described further in the letters and printed materials found in his archive.

1865: Melchior Lechter was born in Münster, Germany, October 2. His father was a craftsman.

1879: Began his apprenticeship as a glass painter with Anton von der Forst in Münster.

1883: After the death of his parents, moved to Berlin where in 1884 he enrolled in the painting class of the Kunstakademie. He supported himself by producing glass paintings, a medium he pursued for the rest of his life.

1886: Attended performances in Bayreuth of Richard Wagner's Parsifal, and Tristan and Isolde, operas which influenced his work and cultivated his interest in music. He admired Chopin and Liszt as well.

1888: Traveled in the Bohemian Forest, which kindled his desire for continued travel and influenced his first nature sketches. This trip was followed by one in 1891 to the Dolomites, after which in 1893 he painted "Blaue Blume Einsamkeit" and other Romantic subjects.

1894: Painted frescoes in Gross-Wanzleben.

1895: Furnished his apartment in Kleiststrasse 3 with his own designs based on the ideas of Nietzsche, Arnold Böcklin and Wagner. These designs ranged from painted decorative elements to the stained glass windows known as the "Nietzsche Fenster." Lechter strove to combine art and craftsmanship and exemplify the Jugendstil ideals. Began his friendship with Stefan George and started working with the circle of artists around George who contributed to the Blätter für die Kunst . This affiliation had a great influence on Lechter and his work. Lechter's apartment became the central meeting place for this group. The friendship with George steered Lechter to his interest in book illustration.

1896: Added stained glass windows known as the "Tristan Fenster" to his apartment. Made sketches for St. Simeon's Church in Berlin and for the glass windows in the Romanisches Haus. Received favorable notice at his first exhibition, in which he showed 70 compositions at the Fritz Gurlitt Gallery in Berlin.

1897: Created book decorations for Karl Wolfskehl's Ulais and Stefan George's Das Jahr der Seele . These brought fame to Lechter as a book designer.

1898: Designed book decorations for Maurice Maeterlinck's Der Schatz der Armen .

1898-1900: Designed and completed commission for glass windows in the Cologne, Kunstgewerbemuseum. Known as the Pallenberg Saal after the donor Jacob Pallenberg, these were mostly destroyed in World War II.

1899: Produced book decorations for Stefan George's Der Teppich des Lebens .

1900: Received Grand Prix for the Pallenberg Saal windows at the Paris World's Fair.

1900-1902: Designed book decorations for Deutsche Dichtung, three volumes edited by George and Wolfskehl; painted the tempera work "Die Weihe am mystischen Quell" for the Pallenberg Saal.

1901: Traveled in Tuscany and Umbria.

1902: Exhibition held in Berlin at the Keller and Reiner Gallery.

1903: Exhibitions held in Berlin at the Keller and Reiner Gallery and in Leipzig, Kunstverein.

1904-1905: Visited Elba and Ischia from which followed many pastels and sketches.

1905-1906: Exhibition held at Fritz Gurlitt Gallery in Berlin.

1906: Designed antependium "Panis Angelorum" and book decoration for Maximin edited by George.

1907: Made book decorations for George's Der Siebente Ring and designed the glass window triptych "Lumen de Lumine."

1908: Designed book decoration for Shakespeare in deutscher Sprache and had exhibition at Fritz Gurlitt Gallery in Berlin.

1909: Founded the Einhorn Press, in the printing house of Otto von Holten, to publish his own work. With this establishment his style shifted and after one year he no longer worked with the George circle.

1909-1910: Exhibition held in Berlin, Königlischen Akademie der Künste and in Münster, Landesmuseum.

1910-1911: Traveled in India, accompanied at first by Wolfskehl. These travels intensified his long held interest in theosophy and Buddhist mysticism. These themes became prevalent in his work, even in the book decorations, although he continued his involvement with Catholic mysticism and theology.

1911: Wrote and decorated book based on his trip to India, Tagebuch der Indischen Reise .

1914-1922: Designed book decorations for Thomas von Kempen's Die vier Bücher von der Nachfolge Christi .

1919: Began his friendship with Marguerite Hoffmann.

1921-1931: Exhibitions held in Lechter's apartment.

1934: Delivered a memorial commemorative speech in Berlin, Lessing Hochschule, "Zum Gedächtnis Stefan George." Lechter's fourth and last exhibition held at the Fritz Gurlitt Gallery in Berlin.

1937: Died October 8th in Raron, Wallis, Switzerland, having worked the day before on a pastel of Rainer Maria Rilke's grave.

From the guide to the Melchior Lechter papers, 1879-1937, (Getty Research Institute)