Family Business: Conzen

Is a work of art sufficient of itself? Well, not exactly. The frame plays a decisive part in presentation. The Düsseldorf-based Conzen family has been making all kinds of picture frames for 150 years and has a turnover of some 7.3 million euros each year. A Conzen frame can cost up to 11,000 euros and customers include galleries, artists, art schools and businesses. But will turnover survive the economic downturn? Report by Ute Schneider . --------------------------------------------------------- The Conzen family sticks together, and has for generations. Friedrich Conzen senior: "Fifth and fourth generation." Conzen‘s sister: "Fourth and fifth. Fourth?" Conzen: "Fourth. They'll have to work hard to make it continue like this, like I worked hard. I have three children. I did what you have to do, with my wife." Conzen’s son: "The rest is up to us." Two of Mr Conzen senior's three children work in the family business. He hopes his son and daughter continue successfully. The company produces all kinds of frames: from simple wood to gilded carvings. Turnover is more than 7 million a year. Friedrich Conzen Junior tells us: "We do a lot of work for galleries, from contemporary to Classical Modernism, or also dealers of Old Masters, many museums, and private customers, of course, company collectors, private collectors, who come into our retail shop." It can take 15 hours before a frame is finished. By then, it's gone through many hands. This frame is being prepared for gilding, with a ground to which the precious metal will adhere. The company often frames famous pictures. Friedrich Conzen Junior: "We've had a major Matisse, a Picasso, Cezanne, and Rousseau. Those are some of the exciting highlights." The company employs more than 90 people. Gilding is a trade of its own. A frame like this costs about 800 euros. But it's not the gold that makes it so expensive. Friedrich Conzen Junior: "It wouldn't be worth the trouble to melt down all the gold from our frames. We get about 10 square meters of gold leaf from a gram of gold. What's really expensive is the skilled labor time. Every bit has to be applied by hand." The family began making frames more than 150 years ago. Friedrich Gottlieb Conzen founded the company. He was appointed purveyor to the court of the German Kaiser. But there were also crises. And some of the production sites were bombed out in World War Two. Düsseldorf – the city on the Rhine is also a city of European art. Painters like Beuys and Immendorf taught here. Many galleries exhibit contemporary art. The Conzen family also deals in art. Currently they are showing works by Francoise Gilot, who was also Picasso's muse. The upper storey houses one of the biggest collections of antique frames. That's Friedrich Conzen senior's passion, along with his engagement for the city: he's the mayor: "It's nice. When I consider that my great grandfather was also in the city council, it's good. And I'm lucky, I have two children in the company. They work and I have the role of foreign minister." Reporter: "This is your private museum? Friedrich Conzen Senior: "Yes, it's our family's expensive hobby because we grew up with frames. We also collected frames. The oldest is this one, a Gothic frame from the 14th century. We wouldn't sell it. Renaissance frames, if I can show you this, are sold today for between 8,000 and 20,000 euros." The family owns 2,000 old frames -- and use them as models for their own products. Currently the company is preparing for some trade fairs. It's questionable whether the company will do as well in the near future. Because people buy less art in times of economic hardship. Prices at auctions have been falling. Friedrich Conzen Junior: "You have to do some thinking and come up with solutions if sales start falling. How you'll respond, because you carry responsibility not only for yourself, but also for your employees. You want to protect their jobs if you can. But I think people will still want to have beauty in their homes." For example, with a print by Picasso from the mid-20th century... framed, of course.

DW-World | December 23, 2008

Tags:. .modernism. .turnover. .gilded. .friedrich. .sufficient