Michael Wolgemut - more than Duerer's teacher

prolonged till 6th september 2020

Nuremberg artist Michael Wolgemut (1434–1519) found fame primarily as Albrecht Dürer’s teacher. In 2019, to mark the 500th anniversary of his death, an exhibition project was staged at nine stations in Nuremberg and Schwabach that for the first time paid appropriate tribute to his great importance for art production in the Late Gothic era. The major exhibition came to an end prematurely in March 2020 due to coronavirus, but the part in the GNM has now been extended until Sunday, 6th september 2020.

In addition to the powerful and well-known portrait that Dürer painted of his elderly tutor, the Glockensaal room and the Renaissance permanent collection contain panels from the Wolgemut workshop in the context of their contemporary artistic environment – around 20 works in total.

In the 15th century, Nuremberg was one of the most important art centres in the Empire. As the head of a large workshop, Wolgemut was well-aware of how to meet the prevailing demand for elaborate altarpieces and panel paintings. He employed many painters, the number he commissioned changing according to demand. To produce large winged altarpieces, he also collaborated with sculptors, carpenters, metalworkers and purveyors of other trades, enabling him to produce even elaborate altar ensembles on schedule.

In the exhibition, altar panels depicting saints and a carved Madonna in a crown of roses are testament to the artistic breadth of his workshop staff and cooperation partners. One impressive work is the epitaph for Jodokus Krell from Nuremberg’s Church of St. Lorenz, which depicts the deceased in front of the Mother of God and four saints, to whom he pleads for his salvation.

The workshop also produced glass paintings. The earliest commissions include the 7.50-metre high central window in the chancel of Nuremberg’s Church of St. Lorenz. In 1485, the workshop also delivered a window for the Church of St. Michael in Fürth. Just a single pane has been preserved. It depicts the benefactor Dr. Lorenz Tucher, who was the parish priest of St. Michael’s at the time. It is rare to have the opportunity to see such a treasure at close quarters.

Rivalry and the artistic environment

In 1457, Hans Pleydenwurff moved from Bamberg to Nuremberg. His exquisite style was influenced by Dutch painting, which was at the time regarded as pre-eminent. His most important export success is considered to be a large altarpiece for the Church of St. Elisabeth in Wroslaw, one panel of which shows the Deposition from the Cross. Following Pleydenwurff’s death in 1472, Wolgemut married his widow, took over his workshop and cultivated artistic exchange between Nuremberg and Silesia.

Five years later, Hans Traut settled in Nuremberg, and was to become Wolgemut’s main rival. He too was in the service of prominent church clients. His most important work is the almost completely preserved Augustiner altarpiece – a magnificent creation featuring excellent paintings.

Together, the small selection of exhibits reveals the complex commissions the workshops of the Imperial city were able to handle in the 15th century – and the international importance of Nuremberg as a city of art even then.