Heidelberg Art Association

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The Heidelberger Kunstverein is an association founded in Heidelberg in 1869 that is dedicated to promoting and communicating contemporary art . He has been a member of the ADKV since 1910 . The association's building in Heidelberg's old town was built in 1990 and is adjacent to the Kurpfälzisches Museum .

Building of the Heidelberg Art Association (2012)
Empty hall in front of the exhibition

Founding time

The first art associations were established in Germany as early as the late 1820s as civil foundations. In the Grand Duchy of Baden the Freiburg Art Association was founded in 1827 and the forerunner of today's Badischer Kunstverein was founded in Karlsruhe in 1831, the Mannheim Art Association followed in 1833. On May 17 and 18, 1836, the representatives of the art associations of Mainz, Darmstadt, Mannheim and Karlsruhe met in Heidelberg and Strasbourg and formed the umbrella organization of the Association rhénane pour l'encouragement des Beaux-Arts , the “Rheinischer Kunstverein”, which Freiburg and Stuttgart also joined a year later.

The Heidelberger Kunstverein was founded in 1869 as the youngest of the Baden art associations. At that time there was no independent museum in Heidelberg as it is today . The actual initiator of the movement is seen as the artist Ludwig Horst, who consistently advocated the founding of the art association in Heidelberg. “On the holy Whitsun festival”, letters were sent to the city asking for (financial) contributions and the reason that the art association increased the city's reputation, which had no independent art institution. The definitive constitution of the Kunstverein took place on July 7, 1869. The Articles of Association of the Kunstverein stipulated:

Heidelberg Castle by Theodor Verhas 1856 detail

"The purpose of the Heidelberger Kunstverein is to exhibit works of fine art and to participate in the interests of this area of ​​art in general."

- Christmut Präger : 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. P. 17

On August 26, 1869, the first painting exhibition was opened in the new Protestant school in Plöck (today Friedrich Ebert Schule) in two empty rooms. The artists Alexandre Calame , Peter von Cornelius , Carl Ludwig Feuerbach, Anselm Feuerbach , Karl Philipp Fohr , Ernst Fries , Louis Horst, Johann Karl Heinrich Koopmann, Miss Ney, Moritz Oppenheim , Karl Rottmann , Eduard Steinle , Philipp Veit , Theodor were represented Mischief . In the year it was founded, the art association had 150 members. They were able to purchase at least five lots of five patience each as an annual fee. The proceeds from the membership fees were used to purchase works of art that were raffled off to members every year. At that time it was still the aim of the art association to create its own collection. (17) This grew rapidly and mainly counted the artists represented at the first exhibition. In 1910 the HDKV became a member of the Association of German Art Associations.

Development phase

The first chairman of the association was the archaeologist Karl Bernhard Stark , who held the leadership until his death in 1879. This resulted in a constant curatorial performance in the presentation and selection of the works of art. In the years 1894/95 there were significant changes. In addition to the exhibitions, lectures on contemporary art were given for the first time. The decisive factor here was Henry Thode's assumption of office in 1894 as professor of art history at Heidelberg University . Under his chairmanship, which began in 1895, the art association achieved a nationwide reputation for the first time. Thode mainly dealt with the development of contemporary art. He initiated a debate during which the negotiation between French impressionist art and German historical academy painting grew into a political position. With an exhibition organized in 1895, he took a position on Hans Thoma , whom he considered to be an "ideal representative of 'German' art". He spoke out clearly against the art of the Impressionists and can be considered a conservative voice in this Germany-wide art historian dispute. Thode left the Kunstverein in 1905. In 1907 the Heidelberg public had the first chance to see Expressionist art. Works of art by the artist group 'Die Brücke' were shown alongside other works in the exhibition rooms. The press, like the public, reacted with incomprehension and disdain. In 1909 the Kunstverein showed works by Emil Nolde , which were received with a similarly critical view.

In 1918 board members Carl Neumann and Wilhelm Fraenger addressed the 'new' fields of work of the Kunstverein as follows:

“[...] Its function of serving as a bridge between modern art and the public is particularly important here in Heidelberg : Heidelberg has no other organization that serves this purpose: we have not yet had a modern urban art collection like Mannheim ; also no municipal exhibition business like Baden-Baden . [...] So the care of newer art is left exclusively to the Heidelberger Kunstverein. "

- Christmut Präger : 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. P. 43

Nevertheless, the direction of the Kunstverein was still influenced by the legacy of Henry Thode and a conservative line in the exhibition system remained. "The exhibitions that were able to tie in with the occasional encounters with radical-modern artists such as Expressionism during the German Empire [remained] the exception."

National Socialism and Synchronization

In 1930 the Heidelberg art historian August Grisebach took over the chairmanship of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. In 1933 he was ousted by his successor Hubert Schrade, both from his position in the Kunstverein and from his full-time academic chair in 1937, due to the 'Jewish infiltration' caused by his marriage to his Jewish wife.

"While the Kunstverein program around 1930 names such as Max Beckmann , Erich Heckel , Wassily Kandinsky , Paul Klee and Oskar Schlemmer meet [te] n the year stood after 1933 under the sign of the general party affiliation and the special line loyalty Schrades ."

- Peter Anselm Riedl : Speech on the 140th anniversary of the Kunstverein. P. 10

In contrast to the Baden art associations in Karlsruhe or Mannheim , the synchronization of the program and the board members went smoothly. Actions against ostracized artists are not recorded. Nevertheless, many members who were skeptical of National Socialist policies left the association. Unpleasant positions were simply swapped out and replaced by followers who were loyal to the line. Despite the shrinking membership at that time, the number of visitors rose due to clever propaganda campaigns.

New beginning after the Second World War

At the end of 1946 the art association was re-established under the chairmanship of August Grisebach . “This demonstrative gesture made it clear to the last incorrigible that with the new beginning they really wanted to break new ground in the maintenance of art.” Accordingly, the first exhibition was dedicated to Karl Hofer , who was one of the ostracized artists 'Degenerate Art' . Grisebach's successor was Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub , whose program tied in with that of August Grisebach and was continued by his successors Wechsler and Georg Poensgen . At the end of the sixties, noticeable changes were finally noticeable. A realignment of the exhibition program was due in particular to the chairman Jens Christian Jensen :

"New developments, especially in foreign art, opened up opportunities that were completely different from the works of the masters of the 20th century, who were already classically at that time."

- Christmut Präger : 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. P. 63

Initiatives such as the 'intermedia' by Jochen Goetze and Klaus Staeck also contributed to bringing artists to Heidelberg who worked experimentally . The position of an artistic director dedicated to exhibitions was filled for the first time in 1970 by Hans Gercke. In 1975 an honorary position was set up for the previously voluntary task of managing the Heidelberg Art Association. Hans Gercke was director of the art association for 36 years. During his time, Gercke succeeded in designing important exhibitions that were particularly well received by visitors and members: for example the exhibition "Tree" in 1985 and "Blue - Color of the Distance" in 1990, with which the new building was inaugurated and at the 120th 000 visitors from all over Germany had come. Johan Holten succeeded Gercke in 2006.

“After taking office as director [...], Holten transformed it into an internationally recognized platform for contemporary art. Solo exhibitions by Armin Linke, Simon Starling , Walid Raad or Rimini Protokoll , with thematic group exhibitions such as the internationally touring show ISLANDS + GHETTOS and the locally anchored retrospective INTERMEDIA 69/2009, shaped the programmatic orientation of the Heidelberger Kunstverein and received attention in the international press. "

- KVHD : press release, December 7, 2010

Many of the artists shown in Heidelberg later achieved a high reputation. Holten's successor was Susanne Weiß in 2012, and Ursula Schöndeling has been director of the Kunstverein since January 1, 2017.

The most important sponsors of the art association are the city of Heidelberg and the state of Baden-Württemberg . In addition, the members and entrepreneurial sponsors make an important contribution to the work of the art association with their contributions.

The question of space

The association had to leave the school building in Plöck as early as 1873 and rented rooms in the 'Dr. Leonhard House '. Every now and then, exhibitions were allowed to be held in the auditorium of the university, but the association was dependent on the goodwill of the school management and the city administration. The search for suitable rooms, in which larger exhibitions could be accommodated in the long term, therefore remained. This search ran through the entire history of the Kunstverein until 1990 and often only brought provisional solutions to light, such as the cumbersome accommodation on the third floor of the town hall where the Kunstverein was located from 1903 to 1914. With the beginning of the First World War, the spatial problems of the Kunstverein became even more acute. The town hall became a military hospital, other possible accommodations were made into temporary accommodation or were used for 'war-related uses'. During the war, the art association was able to resume its work for the time being in the offices of the Palatinate Catholic Church Schafnerei. After the end of the war, he temporarily moved into the city ​​hall again in 1920 . The following years of recession did not leave the Kunstverein without a trace. In order to solve the still open question of space through agreements with the city, also from a financial point of view, the Kunstverein decided in 1929 to exchange its existing collection for adequate space. The city was thus able to fulfill its wish for a 'municipal collection' and the Kunstverein moved into Villa Sophienstrasse 12 in 1930.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, the Kunstverein lost its domicile again and was housed in the Kurpfälzisches Museum . These were confiscated by the American Red Cross in 1945: the Kunstverein was once again homeless. In 1936 the garden hall of the Kurpfälzisches Museum was assigned to the Kunstverein for the exhibition “Heidelberg, Legacy and Task”. Over the years, exhibitions have been realized here that "set brands in the city's cultural life" ( Peter Anselm Riedl : speech on the 140th anniversary p. 11). The author Michael Buselmeier also retrospectively reaffirmed the importance of the Kunstverein in the city's cultural dialogue :

Kurpfälzisches Museum main entrance

“In a way that is difficult to imagine today, the Kunstverein was a subversive place in the late 1970s - less in the sense of a radical aesthetic than in the interest of the opposition, which was not represented in the local council, to understand itself. […] Especially after the forcible evacuation of the Collegium Academicum in March 1978, the often battered left found one of their last meeting places in the [Kunstverein]. "

- Christmut Präger : 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. P. 64

In 1990 the art association moved into a newly constructed building with 500 square meters of exhibition space. Access to the Heidelberger Kunstverein leads through the generous portal , through the inner courtyard and the gardens of the Kurpfälzisches Museum, housed in the Palais Morass , from Hauptstraße 97 to the entrance of the Kunstverein. The three-storey new building was built according to a design by the architect Dieter Quast and is architecturally connected to the Kurpfälzisches Museum. In 2011, the joint reception hall of the Kurpfälzisches Museum and the Kunstverein were renovated.

Exhibitions (small selection)

  • 1990: Horst Brunsiek
  • 1995: Helmut Schober , performance, drawing, painting, plastic projects , April 23 - June 18, 1995
  • 1998: The invitation cards for the Museum of Modern Art in Munich (1992–1998) , July 26th - September 6th
  • 2000: Jürgen Liefmann, works on paper, March 19 - April 24, 2000
  • 2002: The Mountain October 20, 2002 - January 19, 2003
  • 2005: Arvid Boecker: Milk and Honey , January 23 - February 27, 2005
  • 2009: Jorinde Voigt July 4 - August 23, 2009
  • 2012: Ulf Aminde , Obedience to Noth, March 10 - May 20, 2012
  • 2015: Ceija Stojka , We live in secret, February 21 - April 12, 2015

literature

  • The history and future of the Heidelberg Art Association as reflected in the exhibition "Art and Artists in Baden and in the Palatinate" . In: Ruperto-Carola 21st year, Volume 47, December 1969.
  • Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. On the occasion of the 125th anniversary ed. by Hans Gercke. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, ISBN 3-926905-29-8 .
  • Peter Anselm Riedl : One hundred and forty years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein - speech for the 140th anniversary . Heidelberg 2009 (cannot be determined bibliographically in any German library).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 13.
  2. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 15.
  3. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 18.
  4. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 18.
  5. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 22.
  6. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, pp. 33-34.
  7. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 26.
  8. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 28.
  9. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 48.
  10. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 53.
  11. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 54.
  12. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials . Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 61.
  13. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, pp. 62-63.
  14. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 63.
  15. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 32.
  16. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 38.
  17. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 46.
  18. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, pp. 51-52.
  19. ^ Christmut Präger: 125 years of the Heidelberger Kunstverein. Chronicle and materials. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 1994, p. 60.
  20. ↑ Hans Gercke; Robert Drees (Ed.): Arvid Boecker: Milk and Honey . Wolfsbrunnen, Heidelberg 2005, ISBN 978-3-934322-03-5 .

Coordinates: 49 ° 24 ′ 41.1 ″  N , 8 ° 42 ′ 10.4 ″  E