Obituary of John Louis Nussbaum

John Nussbaum, 91 One of the preeminent stained glass painters, designers and restorers in America died on April 24, 2013 in Amherst, MA with his beloved wife, Annette Wysocki beside him and his devoted son, Richard Nussbaum. He was born July 3, 1921 in Brooklyn, NY and enlisted in the Army in World War II and fought in five major campaigns including the Normandy Invasion, landing on Utah Beach, the Hurtgen Forest, and Battle of Ardennes (Bulge). He studied at the Pratt Institute and the Art Student's League of New York under William McNulty, John Groth, Reginald Marsh, Louis Bosa, and John Corbin. He initially worked as a freelance artist illustrating for various magazine and business publications and The Reporter Magazine. Then he became fascinated by stained glass because it is the only media where light is transmitted rather than reflected. He then worked at Lamb Studios, Rambusch Decorating and George Payne studios. He went to work at Durhan Studios for an opportunity to work with the renowned John Gordon Guthrie. Later he visited Fredrick Cole at Canterbury Cathedral, and the York Minsterand Nuremberg Laboratory restoration studios. Major design and painted windows include the Marine Corps Chapels at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC and Saint Bartholomew's in New York City. He performed major restoration work at the Cloisters and Metropolitan Museum; the Boston and Philadelphia museums; and the curved vaulted ceiling in the Illinois State House in Springfield, Illinois under subcontract with Melotte and Morse. As in independent contractor he restored the 13th century grisaille windows from the Cathedral of Saint Etienne in Bourges, France. He designed new steel frames and rebuilt the background glass for the 15th century glass from Nuremberg for the Treasury Room. Other restoration work included panels in the Nine Hero's Room, Gothic Chapel, and Jumieges. He designed, supervised and instructedmaster craftsman and volunteers, including a New York City patrolman, a seismologist, and a medical technician along with graduate students of Dr. Jane Hayward, a former curator of the Medieval Collection at the Cloisters, for a commission for two windows atStonehill College in North Easton, MA. He restored windows for St. Ann's in Brooklyn; consulted and developed restoration plans for windows at the United States Military Academy Chapel in West Point, NY; and the Dana House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Springfield, IL. He was the Founder of Glassmasters, Inc. that designed and reproduced small replicas of Lafarge and Tiffany windows and other pieces for sale in the gift shops of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters using specially formulated transparent enamelsthat he researched and developed. Enameled glass pieces were sold through Disney Studios and JC Penny. He designed a lead knife to cut lead cames that was widely used and adapted in the stained glass industry along with a patented lead came used to frame single pieces of glass or small windows suitable for hanging. He conducted seminars at numerous meetings including the Society for Architectural Historians and the Association for Preservation Technology. He taught privately and at the School of the Sacred Arts. He won multiple awards from the Society of Glass Decorators and was a member of the National Arts Club. He illustrated and helped write the restoration pamphlet produced by the Census of Stained Glass in America. His zest for life and entertaining stories as a Bohemian artist in Greenwich Village that he shared with friends and family are legendary. He will always be remembered for his humility and willingness to mentor other developing stained glass artists.