Himstedt Dolls

When Annette Himstedt began creating dolls in the 1980's, few could have imagined the massive popularity that they would go on to achieve. Annette herself may have had doubts; she first exhibited her creations in 1982 at an artist workshop in Munich and did not sell a single doll. It would take another two years of persistence and hard work before Himstedt saw any success.

Himstedt is now considered to be one of the foremost doll designers in the world. Her dolls have always been noted for their particularly life-like faces and expressions. Amazingly, she began her career with no formal training. Even as a child, however, Himstedt spent time sketching and drawing what she clearly believes is a clear reflection of a person's soul, the face. As she sought to better capture the vast range emotions and feelings that flit across the face, Himstedt progressed from paper, to clay, and finally to porcelain and vinyl. With the incredible results that she now produces, one could well imagine that this was an easy and natural progression for an artist as talented as Himstedt. Yet she has always maintained that, "Success comes only from a lot of hard work. In my work, there's no such thing as luck."

All of Himstedt's dolls are limited in how many are released. Some are produced only for a certain period of time, while others are capped at a certain number. "It's all a game of numbers" she says. Whatever the reason, these limited releases make certain that her work is always unique, and always sought after.

Much of the poignant beauty of a Himstedt doll comes from the incredibly life-like and unique face that she gives each of them. Himstedt believes that children bring us together, and her work reflects that. In her collection, one can find dolls of almost any race or nationality. What's more, Himstedt manages to use the innocence and openness of a child's face as a canvas on which to paint a special message. Many of her dolls clearly possess their own unique view of the world, views which call for us to take a look at the world around us from a different perspective.

Another unique aspect of Himstedt's work is the diversity of her dolls. Each collection features dolls of varying ethnicity, from Eastern Europe, to Africa, to the Carribean. Such variety is a refreshing change from the often monotonous selections produced by other designers.