Special Exhibition
Inks and China inks bring writing and drawing together: they preserve thoughts, tell stories,
and make ideas visible. The exhibition “Tinte trifft Tusche. Tintenfässer und
Tuschezeichnungen” at the Couven Museum brings together historic Art Nouveau writing
implements with ink drawings created especially for the exhibition by Aachen artist Stephan
Wunsch.
Around 70 inkwells and writing sets from the Dr. Julius Rohm Collection offer an insight into
the diverse design culture of Art Nouveau around 1900. The objects are presented as loans
from the Kreismuseum Zons. They demonstrate how closely function and artistic aspiration
were intertwined during this period. Natural forms, floral ornaments, mythological figures, and
technological innovations found their way into the design of writing implements.
The products of the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF), in particular, illustrate how
everyday objects were transformed into small works of art. Inkwells and writing sets were not
merely functional objects, but also items of prestige. They reflected their owners’ education,
taste, and social standing.
These historic objects are juxtaposed with the ink drawings by Stephan Wunsch. Inspired by
the forms, motifs, and distinctive atmosphere of the Couven Museum, the artist develops his
own visual worlds populated by people, animals, and hybrid creatures. His drawings take up
themes and motifs from the historic writing implements while simultaneously opening up new
symbolic perspectives on time and transience, elegance and imagination.
The exhibition invites visitors to rediscover ink and India ink as materials that go far beyond
their practical function and become vehicles for memory, creativity, and artistic expression.