J.L.M. Lauweriks (1864-1932) Johannes Ludovicus Matheus (Mathieu) Lauweriks was born in Roermond in 1864. His father is head of the sculpture workshop there at the Cuypers-Stolzenberg studio. When architect Pierre Cuypers moves with his family to Amsterdam, the Lauweriks family moves with them and the two families live in the same building. In the years 1883-1887, Mathieu attends the Rijksnormaalschool voor Teekenonderwijzers in Amsterdam and then works as a draughtsman at Cuypers' studio. Meanwhile, in 1889-1893, he attends an evening course at the Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. In 1889, he meets his later companion K.P.C. de Bazel, who also comes to work in Cuypers' office. Their mutual membership in the ethical-anarchist and later theosophical association "Wie denkt overwint" causes a break with the strictly Catholic Cuypers in 1895. Lauweriks and De Bazel establish the Atelier for Architecture, Applied Arts and Decorative Arts in the same year. Here Lauweriks creates many pieces of furniture and woodcuts, adopting an abstract-geometric style but also incorporating theosophical iconography. The studio continues to exist until 1900, the year De Bazel has to drop out due to illness. Lauweriks then becomes a teacher at the Kunstnijverheidsschool in Haarlem, a position he holds until 1904. He moves to Germany and is a teacher at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Düsseldorf until 1909. Then he is director of the Staatliche Handfertigkeitsseminar in Hagen until 1916. At the same time he has the artistic direction of the Hagener Silberschmiede. In that position he engages, among others, the Dutch goldsmith Frans Zwollo. After his return to the Netherlands, he is director of the arts and crafts school 'Quellinus' in Amsterdam until 1924. Also in the period 1918-1925 he is a member of the editorial board of Wendingen, publication of the architects' society Architectura et Amicitia. His German years are Lauweriks' most productive years in terms of architecture. In Hagen, he is involved in the construction of the artists' colony Hohenhagen (1910-1914). The house he builds for Johan Thorn Prikker has a geometrically designed wooden façade cladding. Like the design for the conversion of the Osthausbank in Hagen (1910), it points forward to neo-plasticism. In Göttingen he realizes House Stein (1913), but in addition he also sets up several exhibitions, including one in Köln am Rhein for the Deutsche Werkbund (1914). Lauweriks died in 1932. Education: Rijksnormaalschool voor Teekenonderwijzers in Amsterdam/1883-1887;Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, evening course/1889-1893 Side activities: magazine Wendingen/editor/1918-1925