Wilhelm von Debschitz
| Wilhelm von Debschitz | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Wilhelm Siegfried Kurt von Debschitz 21 February 1871 Görlitz, German Empire |
| Died | 10 March 1948 (aged 77) Lüneburg, West Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Known for | Painting, interior design, crafts, teaching |
| Spouse(s) |
Wanda von Kunowski (1898–1924) Hedwig Naumann (1924–1948) |
Wilhelm Siegfried Kurt von Debschitz (21 February 1871 – 10 March 1948) was a German painter, interior designer, craftsman, art teacher and founding director of an influential art school in Munich.
He was born in Görlitz to a family from the nobility of Upper Lusatia; his parents were the Prussian lieutenant general Kolmar von Debschitz (1809–1878) and Pauline von der Borne (1830–1912). He initially sought to follow in his father's footsteps by pursuing a military career as a Prussian officer cadet, but abandoned this and went to live in Munich from 1891. He elected instead to follow an artistic career, inspired by the drawings of Heinrich Knirr and an unknown painter, probably Heinrich Nauen. In 1898 he married a prominent portrait photographer, Wanda von Kunowski. They had three children between 1899–1903. He exhibited his works in 1899 at the Bayerischer Kunstgewerbe-Verein and in 1901 at Munich's inaugural Ausstellung für Kunst im Handwerk.
In 1900, Debschitz and his colleague, the Swiss Jugendstil sculptor Hermann Obrist, co-founded the "Lehr- und Versuchsatelier für angewandte und freikunst" (Instructional and Trial Workshops for Applied and Fine Art), the so-called Debschitz-Schule. Obrist focused on training sculptors, while Debschitz focused on the artists and management of the school. He took over the full management of the school following Obrist's departure in 1904, promoting artistic developments in a number of spheres, including commercial commissions, furniture design and metal, textile and ceramic works. The school began with only six pupils but proved highly influential, training important artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Paul Klee also worked there for a time as an assistant in the figure-drawing course. By 1910 the school had become the largest private institution of its kind in Germany. It was to provide a model for the later Bauhaus, whose founder Walter Gropius stayed in touch with Debschitz and visited the school on at least one occasion.
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