The term 'craftsmanship' is associated with individuality, uniqueness, decorative potential, artistic quality, attention to material and to process. But what does craftsmanship mean today? This exhibition catalogue of nearly 600 pages explores the meaning of craftsmanship in the context of the outstanding collection of the Museum Angewandte Kunst (Frankfurt, Germany) in a monumental survey of 700 items dating from 1945 to the present. Scale reproductions of plates, furniture, cutlery, jewellery and vases highlight their surprising variety of form. In their essays, the ten authors take diverse approaches to the broad terrain of craftsmanship: from the relationship between East Asia and Western ceramics, via the handicrafts of the Romantic period, to the adventure that is arts and crafts today. The title plays on the perceived parallel between the ability of the cactus to survive and thrive in adverse conditions, and the future of the hand-made object in an industrial world.

About the Author

Sabine Runde is the former Senior Curator of Applied Art from the Middle Ages to the Present at the Museum Angewandte Kunst. Matthias Wagner K is the Director of the Museum Angewandte Kunst.

Book Information
ISBN 9783897906532
Author Sabine Runde
Format Hardback
Page Count 588
Imprint Arnoldsche
Publisher Arnoldsche
Weight(grams) 2702g