Charles Spindler (1865-1938), first studied painting and watercolour and discovered in 1893 the technique of marquetry. This encouraged him to design a line of  pieces of furniture of “Art nouveau” style, made in his workshop in Saint-Léonard. He also made paintings depicting picturesque scenes of the countryside of Alsace. He even revitalized the spirit of marquetry, using it as pictural technique and not simply as decorative ornament. Thus, he created big compositions of symbolist inspiration.

His talent will be rewarded through big exhibitions like the 1900 world fair of Paris or abroad, in Turin in 1902, in Saint-Louis (USA) in 1904, in Dresde in 1906, in Leipzig in 1912 and in Paris in 1925. He will also be famous for his decorations of restaurants and  liners.

At the crossroads of  international influences of the Art Nouveau period, the work of Charles Spindler is in the line with the movement of renovation of the decorative arts of the 1900 era, that saw every nation and every artist create its own style.

His son Paul (1906-1980), painter and aquarelliste, takes over the marquetry workshop. He keeps making scenes of Alsace like his father.Great traveller, Paul Spindler will always come back to Saint-Léonard to draw, paint and model. His mysticism inspires him works like “Les Eléments” or  “La Création du Monde” in which the wood is revealed and sings.

The third generation is well present with Jean-Charles, his son, who has been managing the wokshop since 1975. If he follows the hundred-year-old tradition of the workshop, with picturesque scenes of the countryside of Alsace, he develops at the same time his own search on the wood. Jean-Charles Spindler creates wall panels, paintings and screens with marquetry in which the natural fibre of the wood is put to good use with the juxtaposition of large parts of rare tree-species. The artist lets himself guided by the structure of the wood, and models his idea around it.

Piece from limited edition or unique, every creation is an original work designed and made in the workshop in Saint-Léonard. The marquetries of Jean-Charles Spindler, traditional or contemporary bring to the wall decoration a unique conception of the use of the wood.

Member of the jury of  “meilleurs ouvriers de France”, Jean-Charles Spindler participated to many international exhibitions and exports his marquetries to Europe,  to the USA and to Canada. Prizes and honours rewarded his talent.

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