Michigan Stained Glass Census

Artist / Studio

Studio

Spahn, (Dieterich) Associates, Inc.
Minnetonka, Minnesota

Biography: Born in Cologne, Germany, Dieterich Spahn studied stained glass design and other liturgical arts at the Werkkunstchule (College of Art and Technology) in Dusseldorf with Professor Werner Lenzen, who had been trained at the Bauhaus School, and Professor Karl Scherer, who had studied under Dutch artist Jan Thorn Prikker, known for his monumental contemporary stained glass. He also studied with German painter Georg Meistermann. The artistic principles and philosophy of the Bauhaus and Prikker have remained major influences on Spahn's work. Spahn has been working out of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) since he emigrated from Germany in 1961. Altogether he has completed around 200 commissions for churches, synagogues, hospitals, universities, libraries, and private residences. Most of his work can be found around the Twin Cities, but it can also be found in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Washington, California and Alaska. The Twin Cities metro area may have the largest concentration of contemporary stained glass by a single artist in the nation. Spahn's work is connected directly to contemporary German stained glass artists such as Ludwig Schaffrath, Georg Meistermann, Johannes Schreiter and Jan Thorn Prikker. Contemporary German Stained Glass represents a distinctive movement which is closely related to movements and groups in painting such as Les Vingt (Belgium), Gruppe Zero (Duesseldorf), the Bauhaus school, and Expressionism. Many of the artists have created work in both mediums.

Designers:

Spahn, Dieterich