September 20
7:00 pm
Free Lecture
About this Lecture
Count Harry Clemens Ulrich von Kessler (1868–1937), known as the “Red Count,” was one of the most remarkable cultural figures of early 20th century Europe—a cosmopolitan diplomat, art patron, publisher, and, unlike his fellow aristocrats, a strong advocate of Germany’s fragile democracy. His voluminous diaries provide us with a unique and intimate view of the people who shaped European culture and the modern world—from Josephine Baker and Edvard Munch to Richard Strauss and Albert Einstein. Moving through the artistic and political circles of Weimar, Paris, and Berlin, Kessler, in addition to helping shape the cultural landscape, administered the craft school which would ultimately evolve into the Bauhaus. This illustrated lecture traces Kessler's extraordinary life and his little-known influence on the history and development of our contemporary book arts.
The presentation will center on the creation of the Cranach Press Hamlet, widely regarded as one of the greatest livres d’artistes of the twentieth century. A project whose production spanned WWI, it was Kessler’s attempt to create a true gesamtkunstwerk or total work of art. With bespoke paper from the mill he established with Aristide Maillol’s brother to the unique typeface he commissioned from Edward Johnston, the father of the modern calligraphic revival, Kessler brought together an international group of craftsmen to realize his creative vision. Not least among this group was the book’s illustrator, Edward Gordon Craig, whose striking woodcuts emerged from the carved figurines he had created to choreograph the landmark 1912 production of Hamlet staged by Stanislavski at the Moscow Art Theatre.
About the Lecturer
Tom Greensfelder is founder of Greensfelder Design, where he has served clients from cartoonists Nichole Hollander and Lynda Barry to myriad arts organizations. He has taught at SAIC, Loyola University, and the Newberry Library and served on boards including Artists Book Works, CCCBPA, Chicago Calligraphy Collective, and, for 17 years, Teatro Vista (Chicago’s only equity Latino theater company).
Website / Social Media Links
Instagram: @tomgreensfelder