Bossard Art Center

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Bossard Art Center
North side of the art temple, Kunststaette Bossard.JPG
North side of the art temple (trimmed) and entrance to the Edda hall at the residential and studio building
Data
place Lüllau ( Jesteburg ), Lower Saxony Coordinates: 53 ° 16 ′ 55.6 ″  N , 9 ° 56 ′ 30.3 ″  EWorld icon
Art
operator
Foundation of the Johann and Jutta Bossard Art Center
management
Gudula Mayr
Website
ISIL DE-MUS-397111

The Bossard Art Center is a museum and a total expressionist work of art . On a 3 hectares heath land between Jesteburg and Lüllau (Jesteburg) in the north of Lüneburg Heath built Johann Michael Bossard (1874 to 1950) and his wife Jutta Bossard-Krull (1903-1996), various buildings and a garden. They tried to merge the various arts of architecture , sculpture , painting , applied arts and gardening into a whole. The ensemble was created between 1911 and 1950.

Behind the idea of ​​the total work of art is the idea of life reform , which shows very many heterogeneous currents such as nudism , naturopathy and animal welfare .

“Crucial for the idea of ​​the Gesamtkunstwerk was the desire to be able to perceive life and the experience of the world as a whole. This wish was a reaction to the experiences and challenges of modernity, to the increasing isolation of people, which was reflected in politics as well as in the social sphere or in philosophy and aesthetic theory. "

- Udo Bermbach

Other people who have worked on the total work of art at Kunststätte Bossard are in particular the budding artist and Bossard student Franz Hötterges (1912–1993), other Bossard students (e.g. Ilse Voss (1918–2010), Ulrich Heitmüller-Schimmel 1923) –1996) as well as friends and children of friends who were guests at the Bossard art site during the holidays.

The museum, which opened in 1997, is operated by the Foundation Kunststätte Johann und Jutta Bossard . Jutta Bossard-Krull brought the property, the buildings and works of art as well as the archive material from the estate to the foundation founded in 1995. The sponsors are the Sparkasse Harburg-Buxtehude , the district of Harburg and, since 2017, the municipality of Jesteburg.

Creation of the facility

The elongated property on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath covers an area of ​​approx. 3ha. The property was acquired by Johann Bossard in 1911. At the beginning of the 20th century, the property was not yet wooded, but a heather area. One of the first buildings on the property is the residential and studio building, which is located on an elevation.

Residential and studio house

The building was erected in the so-called Heimatschutzstil in 1913/14 . It extends over several floors, offers plenty of living space and houses the studio of Johann Bossard, the later Edda hall . Many of the private rooms are designed down to the last detail. Walls are painted, there are carvings and various handicrafts from textiles and small sculptures to ceramics. The first room Bossard designed was the so-called music room. A multi-layered program of images shows great minds in the lower wall area who have made a strong impression on Bossard. "To mention here are, among others, Jeremias Gotthelf , Gottfried Keller , Goethe , Schiller , Wagner , Dante , Schopenhauer and Leonardo da Vinci ." The building is very modern for this time, with central heating, a full bath and another toilet on the first floor .

  • Residential and studio house at night

  • Facade detail

Art temple

In the spirit of the total work of art, Johann Bossard began to think about a temple for art early on. In 1925, Johann Bossard wrote the “advertising pamphlet to my friends” 13 primarily to win supporters for his project. In it he writes that the art temple should serve as a "place of inner contemplation" for hikers and should encourage them to enjoy art. At the same time, he strove to penetrate life and religion.

The construction of the art temple can begin in 1926 after Bossard has received two generous donations from Helmuth Wohltat and Theo Offergeld. The core building was then built in 1926. The porch with portal was added in 1936. A third part of the building was originally planned: the Ostercella. This annex was not implemented.

The architecture is based on the then very modern brick expressionism , such as B. the Chilehaus in Hamburg. The art temple is an almost cube-shaped structure on a square floor plan of 12 by 12 meters. The roof height is 10.5 meters.

The side facades are basically the same. The facade is divided into three vertical rows of windows. The windows extend over almost the entire height of the building. Four triangular protruding pilaster strips are decorated with ceramic and clay sculptures. Seven pointed dormers crown the architecture. The Petrikirche in Hamburg for the dormer windows and the Dombauhütte by Peter Behrens are named as architectural reference points for the building . The masonry of the temple consists of Oldenburg clinker of third choice, as false fires, which were cheaper. Due to the unevenness, the facade appears even more lively. Bossard himself also formed bricks with geometric patterns and let them burn. Furthermore, ceramic building sculptures were processed on the pilaster-like projections. Thematically, the human being swaps between this world and the hereafter, but also motifs from the machine world, abstract figures and playful motifs. In the base area was bricked differently so that it stands out visually.

  • West facade of the art temple

  • Art temple from above

  • Art temple at night

  • Stained glass on the ceiling of the art temple

  • West side of the art temple

  • Art temple and house at night

  • Portal art temple

Temple cycles

Johann Bossard provided three picture cycles that were to be hung alternately.

The first cycle of nine large-format canvas paintings that can take up the entire area of ​​the east, south and west walls was created during the construction of the art temple in 1926. The first cycle is currently housed in the show magazine of the Kunststätte Bossard in Jesteburg. If the first cycle hangs completely, the room is very dark. Bossard called this cycle the "Hall of Struggle". "With reference to mythical complexes of ideas of the end of the world and the turn of the ages, he depicts the threat to humans from the forces of nature as well as wild animals and fratricidal struggle in these works of art."  

The second cycle was created in 1928. This also covers all wall surfaces, but leaves out the windows. Among other things, it includes four large triptychs that can be opened and closed. It is now a controllable design element with which a different room atmosphere can be created. "In his advertising leaflet, Bossard headed this cycle" World of the pre-organic ", which is reflected in the abstract, architectural-crystalline design of the north and south walls."

The third and last cycle was created between 1942 and 1943. The title of the cycle is: “The golden age, when gods and people walked in harmony”. This cycle was only hung and exhibited at its destination in 1953 by Jutta Bossard-Krull, three years after Johann Bossard's death. The exact placement of the picture panels remains controversial. The third cycle was exhibited until 1997. Today it is also in the art gallery's showroom.

Edda Hall

Odin, around 1921, 34 × 16 × 16 cm; Wooden base by Jutta Bossard, around 1935, 9 × 27.5 × 27.5 cm.

After the construction of the art temple, the previous studio in the main building was redesigned. The Eddasaal was designed jointly by Johann and Jutta Bossard and the budding artist Franz Höttergers: walls, windows, ceilings, doors, cupboards, etc. The construction and design stretch from 1932 to 1935. The room extends over two floors and is with connected to the house by a hallway. The large window fronts to the north ensure an evenly incident light from the north that lasts all day. A gallery leads into another room: the treasure chest. It was designed only by Jutta Bossard.

The hall was named after the predominant monumental paintings, which mainly deal with motifs from the Old Norse text collection Edda . The doors of this room are copper drifts. Bossard is considered an autodidact, i. H. he also taught himself this technique. The Wieland and Gudruntor (named after the heroic sagas of Wieland and Gudruns ) also have a rich picture program. The Bossards originally kept their work utensils in an adjoining room, the Urgebraus.

The Edda hall and its symbolism

In the mosaic floor of the room there is a symbol among many other symbols, signs and faces that was picked up in 2020 by the journalist Martin Doerry . He criticized the previous work-up on Bossard's sympathies with National Socialism and the way this problem was addressed at the Bossard Art Center. The abstract swastika was placed in all probability after 1934. The Eddasaal and its reference to National Socialism were published and scientifically prepared in the catalog for the exhibition “Above the Abyss of Nothing” from 2018 at the Bossard Art Center.

New studio

The New Atelier was built after the Edda hall. This was built north of the main house, but only half finished.

The building was completed in 2000 and also included in the museum's work as an exhibition building. Outwardly, the New Atelier was adapted to the temple building. Here, too, there are pilaster-like protrusions, the corners of the building have been blunted. Jutta Bossard's studio, the oldest building on the property, is located directly behind the New Atelier. Initially, this was used as a construction hut.

Garden area

The garden is an important part of the total work of art.

Probably in 1912 4500 spruce trees were planted to delimit the property so that they formed an avenue supplemented with birch trees. The garden areas dominate to the south and north. All the buildings of the art facility are in the middle. The facility is made up of different areas: sculpture garden, tree temple, tree circle (the so-called omega), fruit and vegetable gardens, heather areas, rock gardens and monolith avenue.

To design these places, the Bossards used the regional materials they found. It was not created strictly planned with lines of sight or the like, but rather all plants should constantly change the place through their growth.

People at the Bossard art site

Johann Michael Bossard

Johann Michael Bossard (1874–1950) was born on December 16, 1874 in Switzerland, completed an apprenticeship as a stove maker (stove fitter and potter) and then studied sculpture in Munich. In 1897 he moved to Berlin, where he studied painting (Fok takes this from Bossard's handwritten curriculum vitae). After a few years as a freelance artist, Bossard got a job as a teacher for sculpture at the Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule Hamburg in 1907. In 1926 he married the 29 years younger sculptor Jutta Krull, his former student. After his retirement, he moved permanently to his heath estate, where he died on March 27, 1950.

Jutta Bossard-Krull

Jutta Bossard-Krull with a bust of Walter Ahrens, Blankenese

Carla Augusta Elsine Dorothea Krull , or Jutta for short, was born on July 6, 1903 in Buxtehude. She was the sixth and last child in the Ernst Krull teacher's family. In 1922 she began her studies at the School of Applied Arts in Hamburg, where she specialized in sculpture. In 1926, after completing her studies, she married her teacher Johann Michael Bossard. Since then, both have worked together on the total work of art “Kunststätte Bossard”. After the death of her husband (1950), she devoted all of her energy to maintaining the art venue. In November 1995, the property, the buildings and the works of art were transferred to the "Foundation of the Johann and Jutta Bossard Art Center". With this, Jutta Bossard-Krull secured the maintenance of the plant after her death. Jutta Bossard-Krull died on October 13, 1996.

Wilma Krull at the gate to the rock garden

Wilma Krull

Wilma Krull (1896–1979) lived at the Kunststätte for 50 years from 1929 at the side of her younger sister Jutta Bossard. During this time she was the caretaker of the house and farm. Wilma Krull has managed the gardens knowledgeably. Bossard's program of self-sufficiency in the sense of the life reform movement was implemented in her work inconspicuously but effectively and thus made her own contribution to the success of the total work of art. All pets - chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, sheep and even a pig, and of course dogs and cats - were looked after by Wilma Krull. Bees were also kept at times.

Johann and Jutta Bossard Foundation

Since the turn of the year 1995/96, the preservation of the Bossard Art Center has been secured by the Johann und Jutta Bossard Art Center Foundation . Donors are Jutta Bossard, who brought in the property, the buildings and all works of art from her property, as well as the Kreissparkasse Harburg (today Sparkasse Harburg-Buxtehude ) and the Harburg district , who provided financial security. The municipality of Jesteburg has also been contributing to the financing with regular donations since 2015 . In addition, the Bossard Art Center is based on its own income, e.g. B. from entrance fees, and rely on the support of foundations and sponsors.

The main task of the foundation is to look after and preserve the artistic legacy of Johann and Jutta Bossard, in particular the listed buildings, the furnishings and the landscaped gardens, and to present them to the public.

reception

Award

In 2012, the Bossard Art Center was awarded the Europa Nostra Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of cultural heritage preservation due to the restoration of the art temple . In 2018 she was included in the program of the Commissioners for Culture and Media for nationally valuable cultural monuments.

Expansion and criticism

Under the motto Rethink Bossard - Lüneburg Heath Art Gallery , federal funding of 5.38 million euros was promised in 2019. In addition to the entrance function for the art venue, the planned art gallery is also intended to present the art and cultural history of the Lüneburg Heath, provide space for education and communication, and provide event infrastructure. After the community voted narrowly in favor of the project, Martin Doerry picked up the critical voices against the public subsidies for the Bossard art site, referring to Johann Bossard's anti-Semitic remarks in the 1930s. According to Doerry, Bossard's sympathies for National Socialist ideas continued later. In the discussion it is pointed out in particular that the only substantive appraisal of Bossard's National Socialist past was the responsibility of the director of the art facility and was co-financed by the Harburg district. A scientific review of the relevant publications appeared on the online platform arthist.net .

Jesteburg Art Trail

Together with Timm Ullrichs' model facade and the possible extension, the art site is at one of the endpoints of the not undisputed Jesteburg Art Trail.

Web links

Commons : Kunststätte Bossard  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Ernst Schmacke: Johann Michael Bossard. Reutlingen 1951.
  • Jutta Bossard: The Bossard Art Center. In: Arbeitskreis für Heimatpflege Jesteburg (ed.): Jesteburg in word and writing, Rosengarten 1979, pp. 163–171.
  • Zuger Kunstgesellschaft Zug (Ed.): Johann Michael Bossard. A life for the total work of art. Zug and Oldenburg, catalog for the exhibition of the same name, Zug 1986.
  • Harald Szeemann, Johann Bossard in: Harald Szeemann (Ed.), Visionäre Schweiz , 1991 Aarau, pp. 86–90.
  • Rainer Schomann (ed.), Urs Boeck: Bossard garden near Jesteburg in: Historical gardens in Lower Saxony, catalog for the state exhibition, opening on June 9, 2000 in the foyer of the Lower Saxony state parliament in Hanover . Hannover, 2000, pp. 178-179.
  • Oliver Fok: Jutta Bossard, A life full of art. Ehestorf 2003.
  • Sven Nommensen: garden art - art garden. Ehestorf 2003.
  • Oliver Fok: Bossard Art Center . in: Rainer Stamm / Daniel Schreiber (eds.), Building a New World. Architectural Visions of Expressionism , Cologne 2003, pp. 86–91.
  • Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. Introduction to life and work. Ehestorf 2004.
  • Stefanie Nagel, Magdalena Schulz: Pictures of a light cathedral. Ehestorf 2009.
  • Gudula Mayr (Ed.): Johann Michael Bossard. Small sculptures. Jesteburg 2010.
  • Gudula Mayr (Ed.): 100 Years of the Bossard Art Center. An expressionist total work of art on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath, 2nd edition, Bönen 2014.
  • Udo Bernbach, culture, art and politics, essays. Würzburg 2016.
  • Gudula Mayr (Ed.): Johann Bossard texts from the estate. Programmatic writings, Jesteburg 2018.
  • Gudula Mayr (Ed.): Above the Abyss of Nothing. Catalog for the exhibition of the same name, Jesteburg 2018.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Harald Szeemann: Johann Bossard, in: Visionäre Schweiz . Ed .: Harald Szeemann. Aarau 1991, p. 88 .
  2. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. Introduction to life and work . Rosengarten-Ehestorf 2004, p. 11-12 .
  3. ^ Bossard art site: The total work of art. In: Kunststätte Bossard. Retrieved May 28, 2020 .
  4. ^ Udo Bermbach : Culture, Art and Politics . Wuerzburg 2008.
  5. ^ Udo Bermbach: 100 years of the Bossard Art Center . Ed .: Gudula Mayr. 2nd Edition. Bönen 2014, p. 31 .
  6. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 34/35 .
  7. ↑ a b Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 40 .
  8. ↑ Harald Szeemann: Johann Bossard . In: Harald Szeemann (Ed.): Visionaries Switzerland . Aarau 1991, p. 89 (“In the history of the“ tendency towards a total work of art ”, temple construction is an important element alongside the other recurring and reinterpreted topoi: monument, tomb, pyramid, ancient theater, cathedral, castle, park, ruin.”).
  9. ↑ Barabara Djassemi: Advertise the "German Work of Art" - An introduction to Johann Bossard's advertising literature . In: Gudula Mayr (Ed.): Johann Bossard. Texts from the estate. Programmatic writings and travelogues . Zwickau 2018, p. 42-57 .
  10. ^ Bossard art site: Museum tour. In: www.bossard.de. Bossard Art Foundation, accessed on June 15, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 44 .
  12. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 46 .
  13. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 46/47 .
  14. ↑ a b c d Stefanie Nagel, Magdalena Schulz: Pictures of a light cathedral . Ehestorf 2009, p. 13 .
  15. ↑ a b Magdalena Schulz-Ohm: The picture program of the Eddasaal - Hope for the Third Reich? In: Gudula Mayr (Ed.): "Above the Abyss of Nothing". The Bossards in the time of National Socialism . Jesteburg 2018, p. 144 ff .
  16. ↑ Oliver Fok: Jutta Bossard. A life full of art . Ehestorf 2003, p. 38 .
  17. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 37 .
  18. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 50 .
  19. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 51 .
  20. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 50-54 .
  21. ↑ Oliver Fok: Johann Michael Bossard. An introduction to life and work . Ehestorf 2004, p. 13 ff .
  22. ^ Christine Kamm-Kyburz: Johann Michael Bossard. A life for the total work of art, exhibition catalog . Ed .: Zuger Kunstgesellschaft Zug. Zug / Oldenburg 1986, p. 8th f .
  23. ↑ Oliver Fok: Jutta Bossard, A life full of art . Ehestorf 2003, p. 14 .
  24. ↑ Oliver Fok: Jutta Bossard, A life full of art . Ehestorf 2003, p. 33 .
  25. ^ Bossard art site: Wilma Krull. Retrieved June 5, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Kunststätte Bossard: The Foundation Kunststätte Johann and Jutta Bossard and their sponsors. Retrieved June 11, 2020 .
  27. ↑ Oliver Fok: Jutta Bossard. A life full of art . Ehestorf 2003, p. 41 .
  28. ↑ Harburg district: “Rethink Bossard” - future concept and new building planning. In: landkreis-harburg.de. Retrieved May 2, 2020 .
  29. ↑ CDU district association Harburg Land: Rethinking the Bossard art site - why actually? In: cdu-harburg-land.de. Retrieved May 2, 2020 .
  30. ^ The building committee met in Jesteburg :: Close vote for the Bossard extension - Jesteburg. In: Kreiszeitung-wochenblatt.de. February 28, 2020, accessed May 3, 2020 .
  31. ^ Museum for Johann Bossard in Jesteburg: Tax money for the swastika - DER SPIEGEL. In: spiegel.de. April 17, 2020, accessed May 3, 2020 .
  32. ↑ Discussion about Bossard expansion: Clear criticism of the "Kunsthalle der Lüneburg Heath": "For me, Johann Bossard is a disgusting follower" - Jesteburg. In: Kreiszeitung-wochenblatt.de. April 30, 2020, accessed May 3, 2020 .
  33. ↑ Rolfe Basement: The Bossards in the era of National Socialism; Bossard: Texts from the estate. In: arthist.net. Retrieved June 22, 2020 .
  34. ↑ "Because of the great success": Timm Ullrichs exhibits in Lower Saxony. In: haz.de. Retrieved April 19, 2020 .