One of the joys of visiting a Gothic cathedral is the beauty of the stained glass. You might think what a shame it is that such artistry has succumbed to cheaper and more modern decoration, but it hasn't completely died out. For 50 years now, Canadian stained glass artist Josef Aigner has been installing church windows that blend traditional Gothic and modern styles to bathe the interiors in colorful light that is its own form of worship.
Churches and stained glass have been outsize presences in Josef Aigner’s life since his birth in Gerzen, Germany, in 1945, a few weeks before VE Day. By the time he was 6 years old, Aigner’s family had moved to nearby Isen, and at the age of 8, Aigner was an altar boy at Isen’s ornate Catholic church, which was conveniently located across the street from his house.
“We got paid 10 cents per mass,” Aigner tells me over the phone. “I saved enough money to buy myself a pair of skates. Our church had beautiful Baroque windows,” he adds. “They’re still there.” Isen, it seems, was just far enough outside Munich to escape the carpet bombing that flattened half of that city, so other than a lack of heat in winter, Aigner’s memories of his postwar childhood are largely positive. “The American soldiers parked their big tanks right in front of our house,” he says, still sounding excited by the memory. “I loaded up on all the chewing gum they gave me. It was a good time.”
Collectors Weekly spoke to Josef Aigner and his daughter Cloe Aigner, author of a new book about her father's work. Read about his life and the art of stained glass church installations, and see more marvelous pictures at Collectors Weekly.