Over a century ago, a Hungarian ornamental blacksmith named Martin Rose packed his bags and moved to Cleveland.
This might seem like a strange move after spending time in Budapest and Vienna, where he had trained in the Art Nouveau tradition, but Rose knew that the Northeast Ohio city was not only flush with cash at the time but also a prominent spot for metalworking.
His move made history — metalwork history that is.
Thanks to Rose, Cleveland is home to Rose Iron Works, the oldest decorative metalwork company in the country, operating continuously since 1904.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is showcasing the family-owned, Cleveland source for decorative metalwork with its newest exhibit, “Rose Iron Works and Art Deco,” running through Oct. 19.
According to a news release from the museum, the exhibit follows the company’s shift from Art Nouveau to Art Deco over its first three decades, particularly Rose’s 1930s commissions.
This shift can be traced back to 1925, after one revolutionary exhibit in Paris displayed a memorable modern style of decorative arts that we know today as Art Deco, the release states.
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The Art Deco period is largely defined by decorative metalwork that connotes luxury through high-quality craftsmanship, the release states. The emphasis is on modern, sophisticated design, and the use of expensive materials, including brass, chrome, with some silver and gold plating thrown in as well.
Ornaments also were prominent in this type of architecture and can be found today in mansions in places including Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights.
It wasn’t long after Paris-native and designer named Paul Fehér settled in Cleveland at the top of the century when he teamed with Rose and joined his company — a partnership that gave birth to some of the most notable Art Deco ironwork in the United States. One of the most recognizable of these is 1930’s “Muse with Violin Screen.” which can be viewed in CMA’s collection.
(Rose Iron Works Collections)
Other pieces in the collection include loans from Rose Iron Works, such as a 90-foot frieze of the history of metalworking and a 1927 door grille salvaged from Halle Brothers Co., an elite Cleveland department store chain, the release states.
“Rose Iron Works is important locally, nationally and internationally,” says Ada de Wit, Ellen S. and Bruce V. Mavec curator of decorative arts at the CMA, in the release. “This exhibition places Rose Iron Works in context with an elite network of blacksmiths and designers in Europe between the cities of Budapest, Hungary; Vienna, Austria; and Paris, France. It is apparent that Martin Rose had his finger on the pulse of European trends in the decorative arts and was able to translate them for a Cleveland audience.”
‘Rose Iron Works and Art Deco’
Where: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd,.
When: Through October 19.
Admission: Free.
Info: clevelandart.org or 216-421-7350.
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