Artisans’ Tools

14. October 2019

Ingenious devices

Tools always have been objects of great fascination. Ingenious devices have been advanced and refined over the millennia. Today these tools are produced by highly-specialized companies or individuals.

Few artisans can function without tools. Some, for example metal designers, manufacture their tools themselves. Tools for artisans often are influenced by regional customs and traditions. Professionals in the construction sector, for example, work with Holstein spades, Frankfurt spades, and Bavarian spades. Diverse cultural groups also are reflected in the design and employment of tools, for example, Japanese saws started attaining a prominent status in Germany in the 1990s. Unlike European saws, Japanese saws only cut on the pull stroke.

Icons and tools for everyday use

The Japanese always have placed great cultural value on manufacturing specialty tools. They regard tools as a means for artisans to put their creativity into effect. Well designed and technically perfect tools have become coveted collectibles in Europe. They convey the history of craftsmanship and are witnesses to the culture of crafts. These tools are considered to be symbolic or of a symbolic ceremonial nature, for example, gavels used by judges or auctioneers and hammers used only for placing foundation stones.

Saws, pliers, shears, files, knives, hammers, mallets, and spades

Dedicated to the fascinating world of artisans’ tools, at its October exhibition Galerie Handwerk is showcasing a selection of predominantly handmade saws, pliers, shears, files, knives, hammers, mallets, spades, axes, and brushes that combine good design, intelligence, and excellent functionality. These devices have been created for wood processors, professionals in the construction industry, forest rangers, gardeners, musical instrument makers, ceramists, porcelain painters, make-up artists, chefs, glassmakers, tailors, blacksmiths, and goldsmiths.

In the exhibition, tool collections of Japanese origin are juxtaposed with collections of tools manufactured in Europe. The aesthetics, functionality and ingenuity of prehistoric stone tools are illustrated in a selection from the Otto Künzli collection.

Dates: October 18 through November 16, 2019
Address: Galerie Handwerk, Max-Joseph-Straße 4, 80333 Munich, Germany