History
1891-1974
Pierre LINSTER and Alexandre SCHMIT, the founders
Pierre Linster, also called Hyppolite Linster, was born in 1863 in Mondorf-les-Bains in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. He went to Paris to study art and apprenticed as a glass painter in the famous studio of Charles II Champigneulle. During these years, he completes his knowledge and realized one of his greatest masterpieces: the glass dome of the Chruch of St. Augustin on Boulevard Malesherbes in Paris.
In 1891, he returned to Luxembourg to found with Alexandre Schmit, who had also worked at the Champigneulle studio, the first stained glass studio in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. They settled in Mondorf-les-Bains. Quickly this studio becomes a veritable national center for craftsmanship. After about 1902, the traces of the artist Schmit are lost. Linster and Schmit received numerous decorations for their talents, including the silver medal for the stained glass portrait of Minister of State Paul Eyschen at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris. Sadly, Pierre Linster died in 1906 at the age of only 43.
It was then that the widow Pierre Linster took over the studio, first with Charles-Marie Champigneulle, son of Charles II Champigneulle, then alone when he died tragically in a car accident near Paris in 1908.
Sylvère and Jean, "the Linster brothers"
Sylvère and Jean his two sons, called "the Linster brothers", succeeded him. Jean was primarily responsible for management. Sylvère, for his part, decided to pursue his father's artistic path. He studied at the vocational school in Luxembourg, then at the École des Arts Décoratifs and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He then completes his master craftsman training in the studio of Félix GAUDIN, which is known for its glass painting under the famous master GRUBER. During his years in Paris, Sylvère participated in the restoration of the cathedrals of Chartres and of Clermont-Ferrand. In 1925, the Linster brothers received the gold medal at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris.
After Jean's death in 1968, his brother Sylvère managed this traditional house. He was helped by his faithful collaborator Albert KREMER. For many years, from 1931 to 1989, Albert Kremer was a key figure in the Linster studio and then in the BAUER studio.
