Anton Johann Nepomuk Seder (11 January 1850,

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

- 1 December 1916,

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

) was an

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

designer, art professor and Director of the

Kunstgewerbeschule A Kunstgewerbeschule (English: ''School of Arts and Crafts'' or S''chool of Applied Arts'') was a type of vocational arts school that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. The term Werkkunstschule was also used for the ...

(Arts and Crafts School) in Strasbourg.

Biography

His father, Christian Seder, was an inspector of army equipment.Erwin Gadomski: ''Prof. Anton Seder †'', in ''Elsässer Tageblatt'', 14. Dezember 1916, p. 2, At the age of nineteen, he enrolled at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

. His career began in 1878, teaching architecture at the Technikum in

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

, Switzerland. In 1882. he returned to Munich, where he worked as a sculptor at the Academy. He also made several brief study trips to Italy. In 1889, he was appointed Director of the new ,"Seder, Anton". In: Hans Vollmer (Ed.): ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart''. Vol.30: Scheffel–Siemerding. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1936, pg.422. winning out over thirty-nine other candidates. In 1892, the school was able to move into its present building, whose façade he had designed and which was executed by , one of his first students. Exhibits held during the 1890s cemented the school's reputation as an innovative institution and spread its influence throughout Germany. Among the major changes he made were his emphasis on the workshop over the classroom, and the hiring of younger teachers, who were more open to experimentation. As the 20th century began, and styles changed, not all went well. In 1907, he was criticized by former students who were unable to find work. As

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

approached, local artists complained that the school was too German. By the time of Seder's retirement in 1915, its once high reputation was largely gone. In addition to teaching, he created decorative panels for the entrance hall and stairwell at the Institute of Zoology (now part of the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...

). His works on the Pont d'Auvergne, a bridge near the University, have not been preserved. He was also involved in

goldsmithing A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and serviceable ...

and ironwork. Some

grillwork A grille or grill ( French word from Latin ''craticula'', small grill) is an opening of several slits side-by-side in a wall, metal sheet or another barrier, usually to allow air or water to enter and/or leave and prevent larger objects ...

for Sainte-Madeleine Church (now at the

Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art The Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg (MAMCS, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) is an art museum in Strasbourg, France, which was founded in 1973 and opened in its own building in November 1998. One of the largest of its k ...

) is a notable example. As an author, he published at least ten books on drawing and painting between 1882 and 1903. From 1901, he was a co-editor at the professional journal, ''Das Kunstgewerbe in Elsass-Lothringen''.

References

Sources

* Jean-Claude Richez: ''Städtische Kunstgewerbeschule Straßburg (1889–1914).''
PDF-Datei; 1,3 MB
. *

External links

Books by Anton Seder
@

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

* ''Das Kunstgewerbe in Elsaß-Lothringen'', edited by Anton Seder and
Online

Biographical notes
by Felicitas Seder
Google search: Anton Seder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seder, Anton 1850 births 1916 deaths People from the Kingdom of Bavaria 20th-century German designers 19th-century German designers German art directors Art Nouveau artists Alsatian-German people Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Artists from Munich