Kremer Pigmente: Raw Pigments and Historical Materials for the Serious Painter

Kremer Pigmente is one of the world's most important suppliers of raw pigments, historical binders, and traditional art materials, serving conservators, restorers, and painters who want to work with the actual materials of historical painting traditions rather than with modern commercial substitutes. Founded in Germany in 1977 by Georg Kremer, the company has built an unparalleled reputation among professionals who require the highest quality raw materials and the most authentic historical formulations available.

The company's product range is genuinely extraordinary in its breadth and specificity. Kremer stocks more than 1,000 different pigments, binders, varnishes, grounds, and other materials, covering the full range of materials used in painting from the ancient world through the twentieth century. For painters, conservators, and researchers who need access to specific historical materials, Kremer is often the only source for materials that are simply not available anywhere else.

The Raw Pigment Range

The raw pigment range is the heart of Kremer's offering and the area where its expertise is most clearly demonstrated. The company stocks more than 400 different pigments, covering both historical pigments that were used by painters throughout the history of art and modern synthetic pigments that meet the highest standards of quality and lightfastness.

The mineral pigments are one of the most distinctive aspects of the range, including genuine lapis lazuli ground from the semi-precious stone, genuine malachite, genuine azurite, genuine cinnabar, genuine orpiment, and other mineral pigments that were central to the painter's palette from the ancient world through the nineteenth century. These mineral pigments have optical properties that are genuinely different from synthetic alternatives, and working with them provides a direct connection to the historical painting traditions in which they were used.

Lapis lazuli is perhaps the most celebrated of the historical mineral pigments, producing the brilliant, deep blue that was used in medieval illuminated manuscripts and Renaissance paintings. Kremer sources its lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, the traditional source of the finest quality stone, and grinds it to a range of particle sizes that produce different tonal qualities. The finest grades produce a more intense, saturated blue, while coarser grades produce a more granular, textured effect.

Earth pigments are another area of exceptional strength, with pigments sourced from specific geological deposits in France, Italy, Cyprus, and other locations known for producing pigments with distinctive colour characteristics. The Kremer earth pigments include genuine ochres, siennas, umbers, and other earth colours sourced from the same deposits that supplied painters throughout the history of art.

Historical Binders and Mediums

Beyond pigments, Kremer stocks a comprehensive range of historical binders and mediums that allow painters to formulate their own paints and mediums using the same materials used by historical painters. The binder range includes linseed oil in multiple grades and preparations, walnut oil, poppy oil, stand oil, sun-thickened oil, and other oil preparations alongside egg yolk for tempera, gum arabic for watercolour and gouache, and other traditional binders.

The varnish range covers historical varnishes including dammar, mastic, copal, and other natural resins alongside modern synthetic varnishes, providing the full range of options for finishing and protecting paintings in both historical and contemporary techniques.

Grounds and primers cover the full range of traditional and modern options for preparing painting surfaces, including chalk grounds, lead white grounds, gesso, and other traditional preparations alongside modern acrylic grounds. The traditional grounds are formulated using historical recipes and materials, providing the authentic surface quality that historical techniques require.

Conservation and Restoration Materials

Kremer is one of the most important suppliers to the conservation and restoration community, providing materials that meet the specific requirements of professional conservation work. The conservation materials include consolidants, adhesives, cleaning agents, and other materials that are used in the treatment and preservation of historical artworks.

The conservation range reflects Kremer's deep knowledge of the specific requirements of professional conservation work and its commitment to providing materials that meet the highest standards of quality, stability, and reversibility. For conservators who need access to specific materials for particular conservation challenges, Kremer is often the most reliable and comprehensive source available.

The Technical Documentation

One of the most valuable aspects of Kremer's offering is its technical documentation, which provides detailed information about the properties, history, and use of each material in the range. The documentation covers the specific optical properties of each pigment, its lightfastness, its compatibility with different binders, and its historical use in different painting traditions.

This technical documentation is genuinely valuable for painters who want to understand the materials they are working with at a deep level, and it reflects Kremer's commitment to serving not just the practical needs of its customers but their intellectual curiosity about the materials and traditions of historical painting.

International Shipping

Kremer ships internationally to customers worldwide, making its extraordinary range of historical materials accessible to painters, conservators, and researchers in every country. The international shipping reflects the global nature of the community that Kremer serves, which includes professionals and serious amateurs in dozens of countries who rely on the company as their primary source for materials that are not available locally.

The shipping of some materials, particularly those that are classified as hazardous for transport purposes, requires specific documentation and may be subject to restrictions in certain countries. Kremer provides detailed information about shipping restrictions for specific materials, and its customer service team can advise on the specific requirements for shipping to different destinations.

The Bottom Line

Kremer Pigmente is the world's most important source of raw pigments, historical binders, and traditional art materials for painters, conservators, and researchers who want to work with the actual materials of historical painting traditions. Its extraordinary range of more than 1,000 materials, combined with detailed technical documentation and reliable international shipping, makes it an essential resource for anyone who is serious about understanding and working with the materials of historical painting.