Halfmannshof artists' settlement
The Halfmannshof artists' settlement is located in the Ückendorf district of Gelsenkirchen (Halfmannsweg 48–54, 45886 Gelsenkirchen, near the Rheinelbe dump ) and has existed since 1931 . Until the end of 2012 it was a residential and community project of up to nine artist families, which was organized as a farm community according to cooperative principles and led by the association Künstleriedlung Halfmannshof eV , in which the participating artists were members. The estate is currently undergoing a structural and organizational transformation process into a creative quarter , which is designed as a place to live and work for more than 20 creative people from various sectors in a completely new sponsorship and with a different economy.
history
founding
The artists' settlement was founded in 1931 with the support of the city council and administration of Gelsenkirchen , at a time when art did not play a major role in the city, which was characterized by heavy industry. Their establishment should remedy this. The idea for this came from Friedrich Wendenburg, the then welfare department of the city of Gelsenkirchen. The Halfmannshof was located in the buildings of the abandoned farm of the same name and is one of the oldest facilities of its kind in Germany .
The founding members were Josef Arens (painter), Hubert Nietsch (sculptor), Ludwig Schwickert and Otto Prinz (architects), and Ferdinand Mindt (graphic artist). The German Bauhaus , with its idea of uniting various artists and craftsmen "under one roof", was the inspiration for the increased settlement of artistic places of activity in the Ruhr area . The artisan lives here next door to the designer and the free artist. Competitive thinking should have no place in the farm community.
Over the years, other artists were added: in 1932 the art weavers Berta Obertüschen and Elisabeth Pieper and the fashion illustrator Elli Lindner . 1935 the writer and puppeteer Heinrich Maria Denneborg and the goldsmith Willi Spürkel . 1936 the art bookbinder Heinz Klein. In 1937 Karl Schmitz-Hohenschutz opened his ceramics workshop and the graphic artist Wilhelm Nengelken took over the studio from Ferdinand Mindt, who had left in 1934. 1938 the blacksmith Erich Friedemann Werner and the master stonemason Wilhelm Schröder .
In the time of National Socialism
The role of the artists' settlement during the National Socialism is obscure. Apparently the Halfmannshöfer, who mainly worked in a traditional, representational way and with a solid technical basis, were valued and sponsored by the National Socialist cultural politicians. To what extent the artists for their part were ideologically close to the regime is unclear. At least the sculptor Hubert Nietsch is known to have created works in the Aryan style . A sculpture from this period can still be seen in Gelsenkirchen today.
Josef Arens was drafted as a war correspondent during the Second World War. During this time he created The Port of La Rochelle , 8 graphic lithographs, 1941 and The Campaign , 100 lithographs, 1940–1944. Eisenhower ordered the latter as spoils of war for the Military Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 2008 the Halfmannshöfer decided to have the history of their farm scientifically processed during the Nazi era.
New beginning after the war
In 1945 the court community founded the Halfmannshof e. V. with its own work mark: a Deelentor with crossed cock heads in memory of the farmer Hugo Halfmann. In the 1950s, a new exhibition hall was built based on a design by Ludwig Schwickert. An artistic work that continues to this day began.
Important post-war works are the large leaded glass window “Die Säulen der Wirtschaft” (The Pillars of Economy) designed by Franz Marten for the Gelsenkirchen main train station, the mosaic “Commerce, Economy and Transport” designed by Eduard Bischoff in 1952 in the former state central bank, now called “Flora”, and Hubert Nietschs small cast iron "donkey" that had its place in the city garden for decades and is firmly anchored in the minds of many Gelsenkirchen residents. It was stolen in the 1990s.
New tendencies
In the 1960s and 1970s, at the suggestion of Halfmannshöfers Ferdinand Spindel , more avant-garde artists were invited. The highlight was an exhibition with artists from the ZERO group : Heinz Mack , Günther Uecker , Otto Piene , Adolf Luther , Siegfried Cremer , Uli Pohl , Hans Haacke , Hans Salentin , Hermann Goepfert and Pol Bury . The opening of the exhibition on November 22, 1963 was overshadowed by news of the murder of John F. Kennedy .
Further exhibitions were New Tendency Yugoslavia , Bern 66 and Anton Stankowski . In the 1990s the new tendencies were continued (B1, Aulehla, Hupe, Platz, Claus van Bebber ).
Ferdinand Spindel became known for assemblages with pink foam. Among other things, he designed the ceiling of the auditorium of the Schalke Gymnasium in Gelsenkirchen.
today
In addition to exhibitions by artists and artist groups, guided tours through the studios are offered all year round , which the members of the artists' settlement organize and conduct on a voluntary basis. The artists see their work and the offerings of the Halfmannshof eV artist settlement not only as an opportunity to implement artistic ideas in an extraordinary environment, but also as a contribution to the cultural life of the city and the region.
The Halfmannshöfer recently decided to develop a new logo. However, the winning design of a competition could not be implemented because it looked too similar to the logo of a Swiss aid organization.
At the beginning of August 2009 the artists Katja Langer and Heiner Szamida were elected as the new court board member.
Artist since 1931
- 1931–1943 Josef Arens , painter and graphic artist
- 1931–1965 Hubert Nietsch , sculptor
- 1931–1958 Otto Prinz , architect
- 1931–1970 Ludwig Schwickert , architect
- 1931–1934 Ferdinand Mindt , graphic artist
- 1932–1943 Berta Obertüschen , weaver
- 1932–1934 Lisbeth Pieper , weaver
- 1932–1934 Elli Lindner , fashion illustrator
- 1935–1987 Heinrich Maria Denneborg , puppeteer / writer
- 1935–1936 Wilhelm Spürkel , goldsmith
- 1936–1975 Heinz Klein, master of the art of binding
- 1937–1969 Wilhelm Nengelken , painter and graphic artist
- 1937–1965 Carl B. Schmitz-Hohenschutz , ceramist
- 1937–1975 Karl Schmitz-Hohenschutz , ceramist
- 1938–1962 Wilhelm Schröder (artist) , master stonemason
- 1939–1968 Erich Friedemann Werner , master blacksmith
- 1948–1965 Franz Marten , painter and graphic artist
- 1948–1962 Eduard Bischoff , painter
- 1961–1962 Klaus Nengelken , graphic designer
- 1962–2004 Heiner Kruthoff , goldsmith and silversmith
- 1963–1973 Ferdinand Spindel , painter
- 1965–1973 Hawoli (Hans Wolfgang Lingemann), painter and sculptor
- 1966– Helmut Kloth , photographer / designer
- 1968–1974 Ortwin Rudolph , master blacksmith
- 1969–1970 Ewerdt Hilgemann , sculptor
- 1973– Herbert Daniel (artist) , painter and caricaturist
- 1973– Jiri Hilmar , art maker
- 1974– Rolf John (artist) , painter and graphic artist
- 1974–1989 Marlies Hohenhinnebusch , ceramist
- 1975– Wolfgang Prager , steel sculptor
- 1977– Dietmar Klein , art bookbinder
- 1983– Heiner Szamida , artist
- 1990– Barbara Echelmeyer , ceramicist
- 1999– Karin Hilmar , sculptor
- 2000– Pedro Malinowski , dance and photography
- 2005– Katja Langer , graphics
literature
- Gerhard Juchem: Josef Arens. In: The book of the Unkeler artists. Ed. Geschichtsverein Unkel eV, 2011, pages 75-101.
Web links
- Website of the Culture Department of the City of Gelsenkirchen
- Homepage of the association Künstleriedlung Halfmannshof e. V.
- Various things about Halfmannshof in the online forum www.gelsenkirchener-geschichten.de
- Halfmannshof artists' settlement. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013 ; accessed on January 7, 2017 .
supporting documents
- ^ Gelsenkirchen in old and new times. A home book. Published by the Heimatbund Gelsenkirchen, Volume I, year 1948, p. 100.
- ↑ Halfmannshof is working on its history
Coordinates: 51 ° 29 '27.6 " N , 7 ° 6' 0.8" E