Thieme-Becker

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Thieme-Becker is the commonly used abbreviation for the German encyclopaedia of artist biographies by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker. Its full title is Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart.[1] In the 1950s it was succeeded by the Vollmer, short for Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts [2] under the editorship of Hans Vollmer.[3] Initially conceived as an update on Thieme-Becker-Vollmer, a complete overhaul is being prepared since the 1990s under the title of Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon (AKL),[4] currently published by de Gruyter and scheduled for completion in 2020.

Scope

Thieme-Becker (37 volumes) and Vollmer (6 volumes) were published in the years 1907 to 1962 by E. A. Seemann in Leipzig.[5] The joint work contains ca. 250,000 biographies[6] that were compiled with the help of 400 specialists worldwide including all leading contemporary art historians. Information about the background of the artist, training, professional development, the main works, exhibitions and references to literature citations are listed and, if possible, augmented by an art historical assessment. The special relevance and strength of the Thieme-Becker-Vollmer lies in entries for lesser known and almost unknown artists not listed anywhere else and also in the inclusion of architects, designers and others working in applied art.[6] Appraisals by contemporary art historians are of historical interest. For these reasons it is still today, 50 to 100 years after its first publication, the most widely used biographical encyclopaedia for artists. It was reissued in 2008 on DVD[7]

The Thieme-Becker-Vollmer was the most comprehensive dictionary of artist biographies in its time. It has now been succeeded, but so far only partly superseded, by the Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon published by de Gruyter and based on the entries in Thieme-Becker-Vollmer. A print edition is scheduled to be completed in 2020; an online edition (AKL online) is continually updated and may be considered a never-ending work-in-progress.

Notes

  1. ↑ Engl. transl.: General Dictionary of Artists from the Antiquity to the Present
  2. ↑ Engl. transl.: General Dictionary of Artists of the 20th Century
  3. ↑ H. Ladendorf: Das Allgemeine Lexikon der bildenden Künstler Thieme-Becker-Vollmer. In: Festschrift Hans Vollmer, VEB Seemann Leipzig 1957, pp.1-16 (in German) and in English: The Project: From Thieme-Becker to the Artists’ Database
  4. ↑ Engl. translation literally: General Dictionary of Artists. The officially adopted English title is Artists of the World
  5. ↑ In 1923, with vol. 16, Hans Vollmer took over the editorship of the Thieme-Becker and remained the sole editor until its completion with vol. 37 in 1950. (H. Ladendorf in: Festschrift Hans Vollmer, VEB Seemann Leipzig 1957, pp.1-16 (in German). For a short history in English see: The Project: From Thieme-Becker to the Artists’ Database
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Datenbank der Niedersächsische Landesbibliothek (in German)
  7. ↑ Thieme/Becker: Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Vollmer: Allgemeinem Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts, Leipzig 2008, ISBN 978-3-86502-177-9.

External links

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