Prof. Dr Erich Menzel 1918 - 1999
Professor Erich Menzel will be fondly remembered by many Turkmen enthusiasts as a collector of the first generation. Since the foundation of the “Loges” group (in the early 1970s), he has single-mindedly persevered on the Turkmen path; together with his friends – who included Robert Pinner – he dug deep for new insights, entering into controversial discussions and publishing various contributions in the early years of ORR and HALI.
For him, the textile world of the Central Asian nomads constituted a creative and spiritual counterpart to his profession, which he pursued as a lecturer and researcher at the universities of Danzig, Tübingen, Darmstadt and Brunswick. His wife, Dr. Christel Menzel-Kopp, was his sympathetic and dedicated companion – both in the natural sciences and in textile analysis.
The Menzels perceived Turkmen textile art as a source of uplifting edification, always informed by a respectful appreciation of the artistic potential shown by the weavers, who indeed left us a “piece of their souls” as a visual legacy. It was the Menzel collector couple’s wish that their pieces would one day find “good homes”, and thus continue to provide positive inspiration.
Dr. Karl Heiz Geib
Gifhorn, July 2011