Earlier this year, the Rakow Research Library acquired a small collection of design drawings for stained glass windows by artists Peter Dohmen and Dieterich Spahn. These original designs, the first in our collection from either artist, were purchased upon the recommendation of Corning Museum of Glass Fellow Rainer Zietz. Not only are the works visually striking, but they were created by German-born artists working in the American Midwest in the second half of the 20th century and thus narrow a gap in our collection’s scope on stained glass designs and designers.
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- Design drawing for St. Ambrose Catholic Church, St. Paul, Minnesota. Peter Dohmen, 1959. Watercolor and ink on board. CMGL 143543
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- Design drawing for Trinity Lutheran Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Peter Dohmen, 1964. Watercolor and ink on paper. CMGL 143544
Peter Dohmen was a well-known stained glass artist in Germany prior to World War II. Unsurprisingly, the war had a major impact on his life. A strong opponent of the Nazis, Dohmen helped some of his Jewish friends escape the country. His own studio in Cologne was destroyed by Allied bombing. Following the war, he and his family immigrated to the United States as soon as they were able and Dohmen established the Peter Dohmen Studios in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1961, Dohmen invited Dieterich Spahn to join him as an apprentice. Spahn, like Dohmen, had studied the arts and traveled extensively throughout parts of Europe. He would later go on to purchase the Peter Dohmen Studios.
Design drawing for The Beatitudes rose window, Pilgrim Congregational Church, Benson, Minnesota. Dieterich Spahn, 1980. Watercolor, ink, and gouache on heavy paper. CMGL 143545
Each of the twelve designs was created in America, the five by Dohmen between 1958 and 1964 and the seven by Spahn between 1980 and 1990. All designs were previously in Spahn’s collection and most are for churches in the Midwest. Watercolor was the predominant medium used by each artist though ink, pencil, and gouache were sometimes applied as well. The designs illustrate that each artist has his own unique style.
The Rakow Research Library is open to the public 9am to 5pm every day. We encourage everyone to explore our collections in person or online. If you have questions or need help with your research, please use our Ask a Glass Question service.