Alexander Mohr

Alexander Mohr: self-portrait, lithograph (around 1920) (Stadtmuseum Simeonstift Trier)

Alexander Mohr "Untitled" (Jacobiner), collage (City Museum Simeonstift Trier)

Alexander Mohr: La Licorne, gouache (City Museum Simeonstift Trier)

Alexander Mohr: Trier Garden, oil painting (City Museum Simeonstift Trier)

Alexander Mohr: Roman Agora, oil painting (private collection)

Alexander Mohr: Portrait of Joseph Breitbach, drawing (Stadtmuseum Simeonstift Trier)

Alexander Mohr: Portrait of an English Painter, Oil Painting (Stadtmuseum Simeonstift)

Alexander Mohr (born July 4, 1892 in Frankenberg / Eder ; † February 8, 1974 in Athens ) was a German painter who lived in Greece.

Origin and education

Alexander Mohr came from an upper-class family in Trier and usually gave Trier as his place of birth. In truth he was born in Frankenberg / Eder as a result of a transfer of his father Anton Mohr, who was active in the forest service after active military service (Rittmeister a. D.). Service reasons also led to the fact that from 1893 onwards, he and his wife Marie von Beulwitz and their three children in the Kgl. Oberförsterei in Koblenz was established. Only when they retired in 1922 did the family return to their baroque estate in Trier, the so-called Haus Helfenstein on Stockplatz.

During his school days, Alexander Mohr received intensive painting and drawing lessons from the painter and art teacher William Straube , a student of the Académie Matisse in Paris and a representative of Rhenish Expressionism . But after graduating from high school in 1911, Alexander Mohr, following the family comment, embarked on the career of a cavalry officer. Deployed on various fronts during the First World War, he was only able to take up an artistic profession after its end, when the German army and with it the number of officers were drastically reduced. On the mediation of William Straube, Mohr received "for a long time" private tuition from the painter, color theorist and longstanding art academy teacher Adolf Hölzel in Stuttgart. It was the last teacher-student relationship that Mohr entered into.

Artistic career

In the period that followed, he continued his autodidactic training, especially in close contact with progressive artist groups such as the associations Das Junge Rheinland in Düsseldorf or the Novembergruppe in Berlin, which inspired him to do important expressionist works. In May 1922 he attended the first congress of the Union International advanced artists in Dusseldorf part and was also on the accompanying, the art dealer Alfred Flechtheim largely supported "I. International Art Exhibition "with the indication" Alexander Mohr, Berlin, Novembergruppe ". In Koblenz he belonged to the group of artists "Das Boot" founded in 1922. In his first studio there, he also got to know the Franco-German writer Joseph Breitbach through a portrait commission , with whom he had a lifelong friendship with extensive correspondence from 1920 (Fig .: portrait of Joseph Breitbach, charcoal pencil drawing, undated). Literary influences played an important role for Mohr.

When his family moved in 1922, Mohr set up his studio in Trier and also became a member of the society “Visual Artists and Friends of Art in the Trier District” founded in 1930. V. “As early as 1924, however, he began studying in Paris for several months each year. There, the art dealer Wilhelm Uhde and his friend Joseph Breitbach paved him access to the avant-garde in painting and literature, a. a. on the writer and painter Max Jacob , on Jean Schlumberger , Julien Green and other authors of the progressive Nouvelle Revue Française - NRF . Extensive trips to Hungary, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Greece also filled the following years. In 1932 Mohr married the 18 years younger German-Greek Elsa Kahn from the environment of the German-Jewish AEG founding families Emil Rathenau and Felix Deutsch and settled with her in Athens.

However, every year he returned to Germany and France to work for several months and at the same time created numerous landscape paintings with views of Greece and its travel countries. From 1941 to 1949 he had to interrupt this mobile painter's life because of the Second World War and the subsequent Greek civil war, he was stuck in Athens. Nevertheless, he managed to show his work in numerous exhibitions in Nazi-ruled Germany . From 1950 to 1953 Mohr stayed partly in Paris in a studio provided by the Schlumberger family, partly at the residence of his brother Adrian Mohr in Merzig / Saar. He then resumed his usual rhythm of travel, the division of the year between Athens in winter and Western Europe in summer, and kept it until the end of his life.

Works

The Stadtmuseum Simeonstift Trier has an extensive collection of works by Alexander Mohr, most of which are donated by the heiress and estate administrator Marianna Monaco, née. from Peschke. Numerous works are still in private ownership in the USA, Germany and Greece. The monograph "Alexander Mohr - the painter with the wing shoes" (see bibliography) offers a comprehensive overview of his life's work. A complete catalog of works has not been created.

Expressionist phase

The illustrations for the artist's book “The ecstatic river - Rhine sounds without romanticism” by the now forgotten Düsseldorf writer Carl Maria Weber (1890–1953), which was published in Düsseldorf in 1919, stand out from Mohr's early work. The cover lithograph, the portrait of the “political poet” Weber, and three dynamic landscapes that accompanied his bitter verses came from Mohr. Mohr formed this series, also published as single sheets, in a very independent amalgamation of German Expressionism with echoes of French Cubism and Italian Futurism . It also distinguished his self-portrait and other "Rhineland landscapes", some of which were in bright colors.

Collages and myths

During his studies in Paris, Mohr created an extensive series of collages . Following famous models such as Georges Braque , he pasted advertising texts, colored paper or other found objects in cubistically dismantled gouache color surfaces or in large-format drawings - with surrealist pleasure in the resulting ambiguity (illustration: collage (without title), around 1925/30). In the four solo exhibitions that Mohr was able to realize in Paris in 1927, 1929, 1930 and 1939, however, he only showed representational painting beyond Cubist influences: snapshots of everyday life in Paris, travel impressions and, above all, mythological representations with which he was the "resurrection turned to antiquity with modern painterly means ”, which occupied him for life (Fig .: La Licorne (unicorn), gouache, around 1925). Here his repeatedly executed gilt-heightened gouaches to the 1,930 laid in Paris Luxury pressure were a shepherd poem by Virgil , to coincide with the etchings of the painter Pablo Picasso to the Metamorphoses of Ovid emerged. In his late work from the mid-1950s, Mohr then resorted to Cubist stylistic devices to “modernize” his ancient heroes and combined the various narrative stages of a legend in just one picture.

Landscapes

Mohr's early landscape depictions can generally be assigned to the term expressive realism with their calm, large-scale articulating style of painting and their contempt for the “interesting motif” . A particular strength of the painter, however, lay in the application of this brittleness to views from his adopted home Greece, which became his trademark. In retrospect, the title lists of his exhibition catalogs form a large panorama of Greece, from Athens (Fig .: Roman Agora, oil painting, 1931) and its surroundings over the Peloponnese to Crete and other islands in the Aegean Sea. He was soon considered a modern successor of the rank of Carl Rottmann , now with a contemporary unsentimental view instead of mythical heroization. After the Second World War, Mohr switched to a strongly colored late impressionism in his landscape and architectural painting, which was well received by a conservative clientele in Western Europe and Greece. In the contemporary-progressive art business, in which abstraction was popular, he had little chance with his representational painting.

Portraits

In his artist career, which spanned more than half a century, Mohr created a wealth of portraits, most of which served his livelihood. He was a sought-after portraitist with international commissions, albeit with considerable differences in quality. Most famous were his literary portraits, with which he a. a. to his friend Joseph Breitbach, the surrealist poet Max Jacob, the co-founder of the NRF Jean Schlumberger or the writers Julien Green and Ernst Jünger . Also remarkable is his understanding of the psyche of an English painter of unknown name (Fig .: half portrait, oil painting, around 1955/56), while professional painting was supposed to cover up the lack of ties in numerous other portrait assignments. The young Greek women who Mohr - with or without portrait resemblance - designed in whole series over decades, were also only convincing in exceptional cases, mostly still provided with “speaking attributes”.

Exhibitions

• 1919 Cologne. “Society of the Arts in Cologne”, on the premises of the Kölnischer Kunstverein, November
• 1922 Düsseldorf. "First International Art Exhibition Düsseldorf 1922", at Leonhard Tietz AG, May 28th to July 3rd
• 1922 Berlin. Alfred Flechtheim Gallery, Lützowufer 13
• 1924 Trier. Christmas exhibition of the “Artists Guild” in the House of Venice, December
• 1927 Paris. Galerie Zwoborowski, 26, rue de Seine, solo exhibition, January 7-22
• 1927 Trier. Trier artists in the craft and applied arts school on Paulusplatz, April
• 1928 Essen. Folkwang Museum, January
• 1928 Düsseldorf. "German Art Düsseldorf 1928", Kunstpalast, May to October
• 1929 Paris. Galerie aux Quatre Chemins, 18, rue Godot-Mauroy, solo exhibition, November 16-30
• 1930 Paris. Galerie Kleinmann & Cie, 4, rue de Seine, solo exhibition, October 31 to November 14
• 1930 Trier. Visual artists and art lovers in the Trier district, “Art exhibition in the casino” on Kornmarkt, November 30th to December 14th
• 1931 Trier. Visual artists and art lovers in the Trier district, “Annual exhibition in the casino” on Kornmarkt, December 6th to 20th
• 1931 Athens. Galerie Parnassos, Place Agiou Georgiou Karitzi, solo exhibition, December 20, 1931 to January 4, 1932
• 1932 Luxembourg. Galerie Menn, 7 avenue de la Liberté, solo exhibition, April 16 to May 4
• 1932 Trier. Visual artists and art lovers in the Trier district, spring exhibition, Bischof-Korum-Haus, June 18-20 and “Christmas art exhibition in the casino” on Kornmarkt, December
• 1932 Athens. Galerie Studio, Place Agiou Georgiou Karitzi 18, solo exhibition, December 18, 1932 to January 18, 1933
• 1933 Cologne. “Kölnischer Kunstverein”, Friesenplatz 27, solo exhibition, December 1st to 26th
• 1934 Stuttgart. “Württembergischer Kunstverein”, Schlossplatz art building, solo exhibition, January 6th to February 4th
• 1934 Athens. Galerie D'Art “Geo”, 13, rue des Philellenes, solo exhibition, November 19 to December 15
• 1935 Cologne. “Kölnischer Kunstverein”, Friesenplatz 27, solo exhibition, September
• 1935 Saarbrücken. State Museum on Ludwigsplatz, solo exhibition, October 20 to November 20
• 1936 Trier. Master School of German Crafts on Paulusplatz, August / September
• 1938 Athens. Galerie Stratigopoulos, rue de Stade 26, solo exhibition, February 2nd to 19th
• 1939 Paris. Galerie Poyet, 53, rue La Boëtie, solo exhibition, March 17th to April 5th
• 1939 Trier. Palace Museum on Konstantinplatz, "Painting-Graphics-Sculpture - the Westmark in Art", organized by the NSG "Kraft durch Freude", November 15 to December 16
• 1941 Berlin. Schönhausen Palace, "Art Exhibition Moselland", organized by the Gau Moselland Cultural Association in conjunction with the Berlin Art Service, 28 September to 26 October
• 1941 Trier. Palace Museum on Konstantinplatz, “Christmas Exhibition Trier Artists”, December
• 1942 Poznan. Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, 2nd station of the "Art Exhibition Moselland", March 21st to April 19th
• 1942 Wroclaw. Castle Museum, 3rd station of the "Art Exhibition Moselland", June 21 to July 19
• 1942 Trier. Palace Museum on Konstantinplatz, presentation of the new acquisitions “from the living artists”, July
• 1942 Luxembourg. Kunsthaus Luxemburg, “Exhibition of Moselle Artists”, December
• 1943 Luxembourg. Kunsthaus Luxemburg, “II. Autumn exhibition of artists from the Moselle region ”, October 17th to December 19th
• 1944 Trier. Palace Museum on Konstantinplatz, exhibition of local artists, organized by the city and the Trier Art District, spring
• 1944 Luxembourg. Kunsthaus Luxemburg, “1. Spring exhibition of artists from the Moselle region ”, March
• 1946 Trier. “Culture Weeks of the City of Trier - Art Exhibition in the Master School on Paulusplatz”, September 22nd to October 12th
• 1947 Trier. Werkschule am Paulusplatz, “Christmas Exhibition Trier Artists”, December
• 1950 Mettlach. “In the former abbey building in Mettlach”, solo exhibition, “Organizer KF v. Schönberg ”, May 7-21
• 1954 Saarlouis. French Consulate, solo exhibition, July / August
• 1958 Athens. Goethe-Institut, Franklin-Roosevelt-Straße 34 (Akademiestraße), solo exhibition, March 27 to April 9
• 1958 Saarbrücken. The Galerie van Hees, Kaiserstraße 28a, solo exhibition, 23 October to 7 November
• 1961 Burbach-Würgendorf. Heimhoftheater, Wasserscheide culture area (Siegerland district), solo exhibition, November 11th to 23rd
• 1961 Koblenz, Electoral Palace, solo exhibition, December 10th to 23rd
• 1962 Marseille. Center d'Etudes Allemandes (Goethe-Institut), 67 rue Breteuil, solo exhibition, February 5th to 17th
• 1962 Bonn. Bookroom of the German Book Association, Münsterplatz 2, solo exhibition, March 9-29
• 1962 Krefeld. Art cabinet of the bookstore Carl Uhrig, Hochstraße, solo exhibition, April
• 1962 Bad Nauheim. Exhibition room of the Kurtheater, joint exhibition with Georg Alexander Mathéy as part of the “German-Greek Culture Days”, May
• 1962 casting. University Library, solo exhibition, organized by the City Council and the German-Greek Society, June 23 to July 11
• 1962 Wetzlar. Exhibition hall of the Office for Public Education, Karl-Kellner-Ring, solo exhibition, July / August
• 1962 Bad Ems. State Kursaal Building, solo exhibition, September 1 to 14
• 1962 Koblenz. Electoral Palace, "form + color 1962", art exhibition of the Association of Fine Artists on the Middle Rhine, September 22nd to October 22nd
• 1962 Frankfurt a. M. Dornbuschhaus, Eschersheimer Landstrasse 248, solo exhibition in connection with the German-Greek Society, November 3rd to 22nd
• 1964 Düsseldorf. “Artists Association Malkasten”, Jacobistraße 6, solo exhibition, March 17th to April 8th
• 1966 Ploërmel. La Galerie les Marmousets, 7, rue Beaumanoir, solo exhibition, December 3rd to 31st
• 1976 Trier. City Museum Simeonstift, "Alexander Mohr and Max Steinleitner", March 12th to April 19th
• 1977 Merzig. Hilhaben Castle, solo exhibition, February 18-22
• 1983 Koblenz. City library, exhibition in memory of Joseph Breitbach, a. a. with works by Alexander Mohr, September 20 to November 30
• 1993 Bonn. August-Macke-Haus, “Unknown prints of Rhenish Expressionism from the collection of the Moyland Castle Museum”, February 28 to May 2
• 1996 Trier. City Museum Simeonstift, "Alexander Mohr - The Painter With Winged Shoes", retrospective, December 16, 1996 to March 31, 1997
• 1997 Koblenz. Middle Rhine Museum, 2nd station of the retrospective, April 30th to June 1st
• 1999 Newport-Beach, California. Memorial exhibition for the 25th year of death of Alexander Mohr, organized by "The Pacific Art Foundation - The Pacific Club", 4110 Mac Arthur Blvd., November 15, 1999 to May 15, 2000

literature

• Paul Mauder: Trier painting, Trier painter groups and Trier painters. In Trierische Heimat, 7th year 1931, issue 7, pp. 98–99 and issue 8/9, pp. 117–121.
• Emmanuel Bénézit : Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Nouvelle Edition, 7th volume, Paris 1976, p. 453.
• Rainer Zimmermann: The Art of the Lost Generation - German Painting of Expressive Realism. Düsseldorf and Vienna 1980.
• Michael Matzigkeit / Bernd Kortländer: Between activism and depression - highlights on literary life in Düsseldorf between the First World War and the end of the republic. In: Ulrich Krempel (Ed.): At the beginning: The Young Rhineland - On the art and contemporary history of a region 1918–1945. Düsseldorf 1985, pp. 143-151.
• Rainer Zimmermann: Painting of Expressive Realism. In: Museum Expressive Realism - Painting in the 20th Century, Neues Schloß Kisslegg, Stuttgart undated (1992), pp. 5–10.
• Christl Lehnert-Leven: Alexander Mohr - The painter with the wing shoes. Trier 1996.
• Britta Klöpfer: Herm Dienz 1891–1980 - A Rhenish painter and graphic artist between figuration and abstraction - monograph and catalog raisonné. Bonn 2001, dissertation. (PDF; 2.9 MB)
• Annelie Karrenbrock-Berger: Rhenish expressionists and European avant-garde, exhibition catalog Mittelrhein-Museum Koblenz, Koblenz 2005.
• Britta Klöpfer: The Koblenz artist group »Das Boot« .
• Joseph Breitbach: The change of Susanne Dasseldorf, with dedication “For Alexander Mohr”, edited by Alexandra Plettenberg-Serban and Wolfgang Mettmann, in: Joseph Breitbach, Works in Individual Editions, Mainzer Series, New Series, Volume 4, Göttingen 2006.
• I have to write the book ... - Letters and documents for Joseph Breitbach's novel “The Change of Susanne Dasseldorf”, published as before, Göttingen 2006 (contains among other things 93 letters Breitbach to Alexander Mohr).
• Bettina Leuchtenberg: The City Museum Simeonstift Trier (formerly City Museum Trier) in the Nazi era 1933–1945 - an institutional history. In: Kurtrierisches Jahrbuch 2012.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Birth register no. 39/1892 of the registry office Frankenberg (Eder).
2. ^ Joseph Breitbach: Alexander Mohr, a Rhenish painter. In: Rheinische Heimatblätter, Koblenz, 8th year 1931, issue 4, p. 142 f. Biographical note with the indication: "longer time".
3. ^ List of participants in the Congress of the Union of Progressive International Artists, Düsseldorf 1922. Facsimile of a page of the conference report, Lauterbach archive, Düsseldorf City Museum. From: Stephan von Wiese: A milestone on the way to internationalism. In: Ulrich Krempel (Ed.): In the beginning: The young Rhineland. Düsseldorf 1985, pp. 50-63.
4. ^ Catalog of the First International Art Exhibition in Düsseldorf 1922, from May 28 to July 3, 1922 in the house of Leonhard Tietz AG Düsseldorf (organizer: Das Junge Rheinland): “A German artist” with information: “Mohr, Alexander, Berlin, NG and den Exhibits 237 (Fig.) To 239 “.
5. ^ Catalog of the "Art Exhibition in the Casino" - November 30 to December 14, 1930, p. 35.
6. ↑ For example, the catalog of the "Art Exhibition Moselland", Sept./Oct. 1941 in Berlin, Schönhausen Palace, 17 works by Alexander Mohr were exhibited.
7. ^ Carl Maria Weber: The ecstatic river - Rhine sounds without romance, Verlag A. Bagel, Düsseldorf 1919, edition of 150 copies, with original lithographs by Alexander Mohr, Franz M. Jansen, Oskar Raber, Wilhelm Schmetz, all hand-signed.
8. ↑ Mohr's undated draft letter to an unknown address with comments on the origin and interpretation of his mythological works. In the estate.
9. ^ Virgil: First Eclogue of Bucolica, luxury print in honor of the author's 2000th birthday, folio format, total edition 106 copies, published by Govone, Paris, 1930; Text, imprint and printer's note in Latin.
10. ↑ U. a. Hans Hermann Russack: German Artists in Greece. In: Hamburg Foreign Gazette of August 27, 1935; Correspondent report of PW Vermehren from Athens: German painting success in Greece. In: Berliner Tagblatt of March 27, 1938.