Otto Stam

After studying the cello for several years, Otto Stam (1913) enrolled in the painting program at the Antwerp Academy. However, the prospects that the visual arts offered during the crisis years led him to decide to pursue a different path.

After mastering the craft of violin making—including training with Erhard Uebel in Amsterdam and receiving guidance from Jan W. Lindeman—he established himself as a violin maker in Utrecht in 1936. In addition to his extensive repair and restoration work, he managed to devote a fair amount of time to building new instruments. He received much acclaim for his work, both from musicians and at violin-making competitions. For example, in 1956 he won a gold medal in Pegli (Italy) for a violin, and in 1959 a silver medal in Ascoli Piceno for a viola.

In total, he built 128 instruments, including many violas. These account for nearly half of his body of work. He built according to personal models that were inspired by Guarneri (particularly after 1960). His varnish, orange-red or reddish-brown on a yellow base, often exhibits some craquelure and has a beautiful texture. Otto Stam was a member of the Dutch Association of Violin and Bow Makers since 1964. He was succeeded by his son Serge M. Stam, who had been working with him since 1972, and passed away in 1983.