Collecting Images [03]
Dirndls, Trunks, and Edelweiss—The Folk Art of the Wallach Brothers

“Dirndls, Trunks, and Edelweiss—The Folk Art of the Wallach Brothers” shows how the two brothers Moritz and Julius Wallach from Westphalia helped to fashion traditional Bavrarian costume with their “House of Folk Art” which was founded in 1900. With their sales rooms and the adjoining folk art museum, “Wallach” became synonymous with Bavarian furnishings and clothing. The exhibition, which includes numerous loans, specially from descendents living in the USA, traces the lives of the founders and their ties to the royal household and artists, as well as looking at Aryanization, emigration, and the successful rebuilding of the company after 1945.

Moritz and Julius Wallach made a name for themselves with their “House of Folk Art and Traditional Costume” (1900–2004) which extended well beyond Munich’s boundaries. The businessmen assembled an extensive collection of European folk art which they presented in their “House of Folk Art”—one of the sights in Munich in the 1920s. They created an unmistakable style of their own, in particular with printed material from their own production. Although their dirndls became world famous following the enthusiastic reception of the operetta “The White Horse Inn” from 1930 onward, members of the Wallach families were forced to leave Nazi Germany.

The exhibition looks at the founders, their company, and their passion for collecting. It presents folk art, furniture, Wallach prints and dresses, personal and company-related items passed on to family members in the USA, from the legacy of the company, and in the possession of former customers.