Hans Ries : Maler • Graphiker • Illustratoren 1871 – 1914
Anyone familiar with German children’s and young people’s books knows the RIES. Until now, the name has referred to the reference work on illustration and illustrators in children’s and young people’s books in the German-speaking world from 1871 to 1914, compiled by Hans Ries and published in 1992. For researchers, libraries, antiquarian booksellers and collectors, this work has established itself – well beyond the German-speaking world – as a standard reference and an exceptionally valuable source of information.
Hans Ries has now published another work under the title
Maler • Graphiker • Illustratoren 1871 – 1914. Kritisches Lexikon mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Künstler des Jugendstils. Internationale Biographien und bibliographischer Nachweis der im deutschsprachigen Raum 1871 bis 1914 publizierten Arbeiten in Büchern, Mappenwerken, Zeitschriften, Kunstdrucken. München 2025
* Free translation of the title:
Hans Ries. Painters • Graphic Artists • Illustrators, 1871–1914: A Critical Lexicon with Particular Emphasis on Art Nouveau Artists. International Biographies and a Bibliographic Record of Works Published in the German-Speaking World from 1871 to 1914 in Books, Portfolio Editions, Periodicals, and Art Prints. Munich, 2025
As before, the focus is on the period from 1871 to 1914. This time, however, the book examines visual art and its creators as published in works by publishers outside the field of children’s and young people’s books. It also covers works of painting and graphic art, in addition to illustration, and documents published works not only in books but also in other printed materials, including portfolio editions, periodicals, and art prints. The volume presented here is therefore more than a mere continuation of the earlier work. Together with the first volume, this provides a record of all publications issued by publishers during the period covered, alongside information on the artists’ lives, work, and reception. The two volumes can be used separately or together; their relationship is also reflected in their structure, typography, and layout.
The author describes his work as a biobibliographical lexicon of artists, with the emphasis on documenting their published works. Entries are arranged alphabetically by the artists’ names. Biographical summaries give dates of birth and death and outline each artist’s career, followed by references to sources and literature. A section of commentary discusses the artist’s work, drawing particular attention to contemporary sources. Each entry concludes with an overview of the artist’s works, including relevant publication details – and additions or, where necessary, corrections to the first volume have been incorporated, with the numbering of the catalogues continuing consecutively.
An enormous amount of work (over more than forty years) has gone into this project, deserving of great appreciation and respect. This is all the more true because all parts of the second volume are freely available online and may be reused unchanged, provided the usual source citations are given. sammlung druckwerk will publish a detailed review shortly.
The work consists of four parts, comprising 3,790 pages in total, which can be accessed here:
Band I Lexikon A-G : Konzeption, Bearbeitungsgrundsätze, Exkurse, Künstlerartikel A – G (Concept, editorial principles, excursuses, artist entries A–G)
Band II Lexikon H – O : Künstlerartikel H – O (Artist entries H–O)
Band III Lexikon P-Z : Künstlerartikel P – Z (Artist entries P–Z)
Band IV Lexikon Zs Lit : Zeitschriften und weitere (Periodicals and other materials)
*Hans Ries. Illustration und Illustratoren des Kinder- und Jugendbuchs im deutschsprachigen Raum 1871 – 1914. Das Bildangebot der Wilhelminischen Zeit. Geschichte und Ästhetik der Original- und Drucktechniken. Internationales Lexikon der Illustratoren. Bibliographie ihrer Arbeiten in deutschsprachigen Büchern und Zeitschriften, auf Bilderbogen und Wandtafeln. Osnabrück 1992 / Free translation of the title: Hans Ries. Illustration and Illustrators in Children’s and Young People’s Books in the German-Speaking World, 1871–1914: The Visual Culture of the Wilhelmine Era. The History and Aesthetics of Original Art and Printing Techniques. An International Lexicon of Illustrators. A Bibliography of Their Work in German-Language Books and Periodicals, on Picture Sheets and Wall Charts. Osnabrück, 1992.