Jakob Demus

Jakob Demus (born 1959) has been recognized as one of the most original graphic artists of his generation. He discovered etching and taught himself the fundamentals while studying the Old Masters. Though initially rejected from the graphic department of Vienna's Fine Arts Academy, he pursued sculpture instead, earning his diploma in 1984. Immediately after graduation, Demus returned to his true passion of engraving, adopting the diamond dry-point technique that would become his artistic signature.

Demus is a master of diamond dry-point, a specialized technique he has elevated to an extraordinary level of excellence. This method uses a diamond-tipped tool that allows him to delicately incise copper plates, creating works of incomparable delicacy while preserving the spontaneity and fluidity of a drawing. While the German artist Lovis Corinth (1858-1925) occasionally experimented with this technique, Demus is the first to employ it systematically and comprehensively.

The technical challenges of diamond dry-point are formidable. The diamond point responds to the slightest pressure variation, and even minor mistakes can break the tool. Additionally, like traditional dry-point plates, diamond dry-point allows for only about thirty impressions before the burr wears away under the press. What makes Demus' achievements even more remarkable is that he typically creates his prints without preliminary drawings.

Demus' work received significant recognition with a major retrospective at the Museum Het Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam in 2005, accompanied by the publication of a comprehensive catalogue raisonné documenting his complete graphic work from 1983-2005. His artistic vision extends beyond technical mastery to include a special relationship with his subjects, particularly elements from nature such as stones, which he often depicts with near-photographic objectivity despite working in monochrome.

Through his exceptional technique and artistic vision, Jakob Demus has established himself as a unique voice in contemporary printmaking, continuing and innovating within the rich tradition of graphic arts.

MUSEUMS

• London, British Museum
• New York, Metropolitan Museum
• Vienna, Albertina
• Germany, Berliner Kupferstichkabinett
• London, Viktoria & Albert museum
• Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
• USA, Memorial Art Gallery Rochester
• New York, Museum of Modern Art
• Vienna, Museum Leopold