Where art becomes space
Jan Thorn Prikker was born on June 5, 1868 in The Hague and died on March 5, 1932 in Cologne. He began his artistic career as a symbolist painter in the Netherlands and gained early recognition there. But it was only when he moved to Deutschland 1904 marked the beginning of a new, decisive phase in his work. Here he developed into a master of applied art and devoted himself increasingly to stained glass, mural design and , above all, monumental mosaic art. His works were not mere decoration, but the expression of an artistic and social aspiration: art should be public, tangible and permanent.
Thorn Prikker's traces are particularly evident in Düsseldorf . In 1925, he created two monumental mosaics for the Ehrenhof entitled "The Day" and "The Night". These works still flank the entrances to two pavilions today - visual gateways to the city's cultural mile. The Ehrenhof houses the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, a museum for contemporary art and digital culture, as well as the Kunstpalast with an important collection of painting, sculpture and design objects. that Thorn Prikker's works are to be found in the very place where today contemporary art mixes with future themes is more than a coincidence. it is an echo of his thinking. During the Nazi era, the mosaics were declared "degenerate" and covered with wooden crates - a sad chapter that paradoxically ensured their survival. Today they shine again: powerful, clear, timeless.
An object that shines on
Thorn Prikker has also set artistic accents beyond Düsseldorf . So he created the mosaic "Music and Dance" in the Stadthalle Hagen - a powerful composition that unites sacred and secular musical themes in a rhythmic visual language. Between 1914 and 1916, he created the Apsis mosaic in the Old Catholic Church of Peace in Essen - a masterpiece of modern religious art that still radiates meditative depth today.
An often overlooked example of his creative skills can be found in the Wilhelm Marx House in Düsseldorf. Here, Thorn Prikker designed stained glass windows and wall designs for the Börsensaal, which reflect his idea of a holistic art space. It is remarkable that many of these works have been preserved and are now accessible to the public again - silent monuments to an art that shapes the space without dominating it.
Mosaic in miniature - art within reach
In this context, we are particularly pleased to be able to present an object by Jan Thorn Prikker in our upcoming Auction : an abstract composition in mosaic technique on a plaster background measuring 74 x 84 cm. The object combines on a smaller scale the creative qualities for Thorn Prikker is known - precisely placed color rhythms, clear lines and a perceptible depth in the surface. It offers collectors an exceptional opportunity to acquire an object by this important artist.
Thorn Prikker taught at important institutions how the Werkkunstschule Krefeld, the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the Kölner Werkschulen. His students included artist how Heinrich Campendonk and Helmuth Macke, who carried on his ideals. In addition to his pedagogical influence, however, it is above all his visual legacy that endures - an art that is not only to be found in museums, but also manifests itself in cities, churches and public buildings.
Jan Thorn Prikker knew it to create images from stone and glass that go far beyond the ornamental. His works tell of an artist who knew his time, but not follow it blindly. In a world that is constantly changing, his mosaics remind us that art not have to be loud to speak for long. Anyone who visits them today - whether in Düsseldorf, Essen or Hagen - encounters not just the story of an artist, but an idea of art that connects space, people and spirit.
