Karoline Müller (gallery owner)

Johannes Grützke , who applies a varnish , and Karoline Müller in the Ladengalerie Berlin (2011).

Karoline Friederike Müller (* December 10, 1935 in Gera ; † September 4, 2019 in Berlin ) was a German gallery owner and curator who ran the Berlin gallery for contemporary art from 1962 until her death and who campaigned for the promotion of female artists.

Life

Karoline Müller was born as the daughter of Friedrich Engelmann and the graphic artist Susanne Engelmann (née Kornmann).

Shop gallery Berlin

After studying from 1954 to 1960 at the Free Department of the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Berlin with Hans Uhlmann , Karoline Müller opened with Wichart Müller (1927–1974) and Arwed D. Gorella (1937–2002) on November 20, 1962 in the Charlottenburger Bleibtreustraße 5a, the gallery with an exhibition of works by Heinz Otterson . With the selection of free and applied works, the gallery wanted to support young artists living in Berlin as well as promote representational art , which was neglected at the time , according to the understanding of the gallery owners, art that “still needs to be implemented”. The gallery's economic survival also ensured the sale of children's books in the early years, including titles from the privately run children's book publisher Lucie Groszer from the GDR . At the same time, well-known children's book illustrators such as Lilo Fromm , Eva Johanna Rubin and Jürgen Spohn or Janosch, who was still largely unknown as an artist at the time, exhibited their works. Well-known artists who showed their works in the gallery while they were still alive included Karl Hubbuch and Otto Pankok .

After the construction of the Berlin Wall and during the Cold War , work shows from the GDR are to be highlighted in the shop gallery run independently by Karoline Müller since 1966 : In addition to exhibitions by recognized artists such as Fritz Cremer , Hans Grundig , Lea Grundig , Max Lingner , Wolfgang Mattheuer , Otto Nagel , Oskar Nerlinger and Magnus Zeller , the gallery also offered young talents - u. a. Günther Brendel , Harald Hakenbeck , Gerhard Kettner , Klaus Matthäi , Ronald Paris , Gerhard Rommel , Max Uhlig - a forum in the west of the divided city, for example with the collective exhibition Elf from the GDR in 1969. These German-German encounters were often accompanied by discussion rounds discussed controversially in West and East German feature pages, for example after "these disputes [...] had received new impetus through the much-noticed exhibition of plastic and graphic works by Fritz Cremer in the shop gallery". Karoline Müller continued this form of artistic encounter with presentations of the works of Werner Tübke in 1980 and after German reunification with an exhibition by Willi Sitte .

In addition, the gallery owner endeavored to present the work of East Central and Southeastern European visual artists: this included naive painting and folk art from Poland (including Halina Dąbrowska ) as well as paintings, graphics , sculptures and drawings from Czechoslovakia with representatives of the "Bratislava School of Graphics " ( Orest Dubay , Viera Bombová , Albín Brunovský and Alexander Eckerdt ) and the artist group Mikuláš Galanda (e.g. Milan Laluha ), as well as Vlastimil Beneš , Ignac Bizmajer and Vincent Hložník . In 1977 the works of three Moscow painters and in 1980 art from Uzbekistan were presented .

In addition to local artists such as members of the Berlin painter-poets - Aldona Gustas and Kurt Mühlenhaupt - the show by representatives of the School of New Magnificence such as Johannes Grützke , Manfred Bluth and Matthias Koeppel has been a focus of the exhibition since the 1970s. The multi-volume directory catalog of Johannes Grützke's prints has been published by the gallery's own publishing house since 1998 . Malcolm Poynter (1988) and Roland Topor (1978) should be mentioned as international artists who exhibited in the shop gallery . In addition to solo or group exhibitions, readings and musical events, as well as the retrospective on the occasion of Joachim Ringelnatz's 80th birthday , Karoline Müller has curated thematic presentations, for example Das Tier - Animal Representations by Contemporary Artists (2000), which can be seen two years later in the Berlin Zoo was, or beautiful dolls from all over the world since 1900 in toys and puppet theater (1978), for which Johannes Grützke, Kurt Mühlenhaupt and Eva Johanna Rubin worked out special editions.

The gallery was regularly represented at art fairs such as Art Basel , Art Cologne , Art Frankfurt and the International Contemporary Art Fair London.

After moving to Bleibtreustraße 20 in 1964, first to Wilmersdorfer Straße in 1970 , then to Kurfürstendamm , 1997 to Neuköllner Urbanstraße , 2001 to Brunnenstraße to Berlin-Mitte and 2005 to Drontheimer Straße ( Gesundbrunnen ), Karoline Müller and Valentin Müller manage the Shop gallery since 2008 in the former community office of the Tempelhof district in Alt-Tempelhof, where a large part of the artistic estate of Margarete Godon (1909–2006) - mainly sculptures - can be viewed.

Cultural engagement

In addition to her work as a gallery owner, Karoline Müller has worked for the art of women since the 1980s, initially as managing director and since 1989 as long-time chairwoman of the Association of Berlin Women Artists 1867 eV and has contributed to the needs of women artists in public, for example Make publications or curating exhibitions visible. Together with Inge Huber, she edited the volume On the Physiology of Fine Art, Artists, Multipliers, Art Historians , which introduces the women active in the Berlin art scene. For their self-financed, in the opinion of the jury "outstanding basic research on the topic of women in the fine arts", both received the Karl Hofer Prize of the Berlin University of the Arts in 1987. After that, on Müller and Jörn Merkert's initiative, they achieved 125 years of age The association was founded in 1992 with the Berlinische Galerie to realize the anniversary exhibition Profession without tradition . In addition to the catalog, the reference work Käthe, Paula and all the rest was published , which lists over 1200 artists, art lovers and honorary male members of the association. Both publications have now established themselves as unique standard works and sources of inspiration for research projects and exhibitions in art history.

As a founding member of the Schadow Society, Müller was committed to maintaining Johann Gottfried Schadow 's house. With the help of the Berlin Artists' Association, Schadow's apartment and studio were restored. On Müller's initiative and with the support of the association, it was possible to save the façade reliefs on the “ Schadowhaus ” , which were last damaged by construction work .

The publication Victoria von Preußen 1840–1901 in Berlin 2001 for the exhibition Kaiserin Friedrich als Künstlerin , edited by Müller and Friedrich Rothe , contributed to preserving the memory of Victoria as a patroness .

On the occasion of the award of the Federal Cross of Merit , which Müller received “as a controversial representative of the interests of women in the 'art business'” and “as a controversial force in the process of growing together in the field of fine arts in Germany”, Christine Bergmann also received her “for the Contribution to understanding and reconciliation between the peoples [...] with the commitment to talents from the countries of the former Eastern Bloc ”.

Karoline Müller was awarded the Louise Schroeder Medal in 2010 for her decades of commitment “against the unequal treatment of women in the art world” as a “problem that is barely noticed by the public” . At the award ceremony, the then President of the Berlin House of Representatives , Walter Momper , emphasized that she had “campaigned for the promotion of women artists at a time when the concept of promoting women did not even exist”, and is still fighting “for contemporary support” Women artists and against the forgetting of important earlier women artists ”by setting a“ visible sign against discrimination and inequality of women in art ” with their commitment . Jörn Merkert pointed out in his laudation that Müller always respected women as self-determined artists and encouraged them to do so, because art is ultimately the epitome of free self-determination. This also means that in times of the Wall and the Cold War, the gallery owner also exhibited East Berlin artists and thus built political bridges in art and society. Furthermore, she brought art closer to the general public in order to make art understandable for everyone, which is especially necessary in times of globalization .

Quote

“Art is there for everyone. It's a deeply social thought. It doesn't just belong to men. Women were and are being displaced more quickly, in art itself as well as in the struggle for exhibition spaces. "

- Karoline Müller

Publications and editorships (selection)

• Inge Huber, Karoline Müller (eds.): On the physiology of the visual arts, artists, multipliers, art historians Berlin 1985–1987. Portraits, materials, registers. Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-926460-00-8 .
• Karoline Müller, Friedrich Rothe (ed.): Victoria von Preußen 1840-1901 in Berlin 2001. Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-9802288-9-4 .
• Ladengalerie Müller: Beautiful dolls from all over the world since 1900 as toys and in puppet theater. Berlin 1978.
• Kurt Mühlenhaupt: For his 90th birthday. Berlin 2011.
• Directory of prints by Johannes Grützke. Edited by Andreas Pospischil u. der Ladengalerie Berlin: 1. 1958–1963, Berlin 2011.
• Monika Brachmann. Berlin 2011.
• Ingeborg Leuthold : Total tattoo or the longing for a lost paradise. Oil painting, watercolor, lino print. Berlin 2010, ISBN 3-926460-90-3 .
• Johannes Grützke: The attitude of Bathsheba. Berlin 2009, ISBN 3-926460-88-1 .
• The animal. Animal representations by contemporary artists. Berlin 2000.
• Johannes Grützke: Catalog raisonné of prints 1978–1998. Berlin 1998.
• Margarete Godon: painting and sculptures. Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-926460-51-2 .
• Lea Grundig: Jewish, communist, graphic artist. Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-926460-56-3 .
• Johannes Grützke: Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and other pictures. Berlin 1992.
• Aiga Müller: On the back of things. Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-926460-13-X .
• The bow. Johannes Grützke 1987 - a fragment. Berlin 1988.
• Matthias Koeppel: "German Landscapes" / Art Cologne, Nov. 14 - Nov. 20, 1985. Berlin 1985
• Ringelnatz. For his 80th birthday. Berlin 1962.

Awards

• 1987: Karl Hofer Prize
• 2001: Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon
• 2010: Louise Schroeder Medal

literature

• Friedrich Rothe (Ed.): Ladengalerie, founded in 1962. Ladengalerie Müller, Berlin 2012, ISBN 3-926460-97-0 .
• Müller, Karoline. In: Association of Berlin women artists (ed.): Käthe, Paula and the whole rest. A reference work. Kupfergraben, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-89181-411-9 , p. 209.

Web links

• Literature by and about Karoline Müller in the catalog of the German National Library
• Müller shop gallery
• Corinna Daniels: “A weakness for figurative elements” (January 11, 2003) . The world. Retrieved December 3, 2012.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Friedrich Rothe: Ghosts in the shop gallery. New opportunities for Berlin's young artists. In: Spandauer Volksblatt from November 23, 1962
2. ^ Last instance public. In: Berliner Zeitung of November 21, 2002 (printed in Friedrich Rothe (Hrsg.): Ladengalerie, founded in 1962. pp. 198–200).
3. ↑ Katja Engler: A loner for whom love is everything . The world. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
4. ↑ See Hans Georg Soldat : The common denominator. East-West discussion with Lea Grundig in the shop gallery. In: Der Tagesspiegel , end of July 1964 (reprinted in: Friedrich Rothe (Hrsg.): Ladengalerie, founded in 1962. p. 18); Wolfgang Schimming: East-West Art in Berlin. Encounters in a shop gallery. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung of March 9, 1965 (reprinted in: Ladengalerie, founded in 1962, p. 34).
5. ^ Artists dispute in Charlottenburg. In: National-Zeitung (Berlin) of February 19, 1965 (reprinted in: Friedrich Rothe (Hrsg.): Ladengalerie, founded 1962, p. 32).
6. ↑ Archive UdK Prize for Interdisciplinary Art and Karl Hofer Prize  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Friedrich Rothe (Ed.): Ladengalerie, founded in 1962. pp. 118–121 and 123 f.  
7. ↑ See Jörn Merkert, Karoline Müller: Foreword In: Exhibition catalog Profession without tradition. Edited by the Association of Berlin Women Artists, Kupfergraben, Berlin 1992, pp. 6-8.
8. ↑ ^{a b c} Tempelhof gallery owner Karoline Müller honored with the Louise Schroeder Medal
9. ↑ Quoted in Friedrich Rothe (ed.): Ladengalerie, founded in 1962. P. 192.
10. ↑ Speech by the President of the Berlin House of Representatives, Walter Momper, on the occasion of the award of the Louise Schroeder Medal to Karoline Müller on April 15, 2010. Accessed on April 23, 2019.