New artists' association Munich

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Signet of the New Artists' Association Munich (NKVM). Woodcut. Design: Wassily Kandinsky

The Neue Künstlervereinigung München (NKVM) was an Expressionist group of artists based in Munich .

History of the Association

The idea for the NKVM

The forerunner to the NKVM was the “Brotherhood of Saint Luke”, which the Russian painter Marianne von Werefkin had gathered around her in her adopted home Munich in the Schwabing district in 1897 in her “pink salon”. The members understood themselves standing in the tradition of the Luke guilds. Even then one planned “manifestations, i. H. Exhibitions ".

The idea for the NKVM was also born in the Werefkin's salon (before Christmas 1908). Besides Werefkin, Alexej Jawlensky , Adolf Erbslöh and the Tonkünstler Oscar Wittenstein were involved in founding “the new artists' association”. Gabriele Münter and Wassily Kandinsky were initially not informed of the project. Kandinsky was still annoyed at this years later, which to a certain extent explains his hesitant behavior when he was offered in January 1909 to take over the chairmanship of the NKVM.

Foundation, members and goals

Woodcut rocks (membership card of the NKVM)

On January 22, 1909, the charter was drawn up. Members were initially: Wladimir von Bechtejeff , Th. E. Buttler, Adolf Erbslöh, Leonhard Frank , Gustav Freytag, Thomas von Hartmann , Jawlensky, Kandinsky, Alexander Kanoldt , Marga Kanoldt-Zerener, Johanna Kanoldt, Alfred Kubin , Münter, Charles Palmié , Hugo Schimmel, art historian Heinrich Schnabel, von Werefkin and Wittenstein. In the same year Paul Baum , Erma Bossi , Pierre-Paul Girieud , Karl Hofer , Moissey Kogan and the dancer Alexander Sacharoff joined the association. Of these, Baum, Butler, Frank, Kanoldt-Zerener, Palmié and Schimmel dropped out again in the course of the year.

The following were elected to the board: Kandinsky as first chairman, Jawlensky as second, as deputy Johanna Kanoldt, as first secretary Wittenstein, as treasurer Johanna Kanoldt. On May 10, the NKVM was entered in the municipal register of associations in Munich.

In one with the signet of the artists' association and the salutation “EW. Highly Born! ”Circular letter to influential personalities made the group u. a. aware of their goals:

“We start from the idea that the artist, in addition to the impressions he receives from the external world, nature, continually collects experiences in an internal world; and the search for artistic forms that are supposed to express the mutual penetration of all these experiences - for forms that have to be freed from everything secondary in order to express only what is necessary - in short, the striving for artistic synthesis, this seems to us a slogan that is currently uniting more and more artists spiritually ”.

Kandinsky had introduced a paragraph into the statutes of the NKVM - the "four square meter clause" - which in 1911 was supposed to offer him the means to leave the association. It read:

"Every full member has the right to exhibit two works without a jury, provided that these [two pictures] together do not exceed an area of ​​4 square meters (2 by 2 m)."

In 1910 Erbslöh was appointed secretary of the NKVM. When the conservative forces in the NKVM had more and more inconsistencies, which were sparked by Kandinsky's increasingly abstract painting - he was asked to have "works that were as understandable as possible" - he resigned in January 1911. Erbslöh became his successor. Franz Marc also became a member and third chairman in January . At the General Assembly on February 4th, the following were elected: Wittenstein as 2nd chairman, Alexander Kanoldt as 1st secretary, Schnabel as 2nd secretary and Johanna Kanoldt as cashier.

The “Last Judgment” on December 2nd, 1911

The Last Judgment / Composition V , 1911

Annoyed by the disdain for his painting, Kandinsky and Marc worked on a spin-off from the NKVM August Macke was a confidante. Kandinsky painted secretly and confrontational targeted to a five-square-foot abstract painting, The Last Judgment / Composition V . The exact dimensions of the oil painting on canvas are 190 × 275 cm. Well aware of the statutes of the NKVM, he submitted it to the jury for the upcoming winter exhibition as a provocation. Kandinsky's and Marc's planning worked. One remembered the "four square meter clause" introduced by Kandinsky himself.

There was the hoped-for "crash" on December 2, 1911. The majority rejected Kandinsky's picture in accordance with the statutes. Kandinsky then left the NKVM together with Münter and Marc - pretending to be a “protest” - in order to be able to open the first exhibition of the Der Blaue Reiter editorial team, which had been secretly prepared for months on December 18, 1911 .

For the first time in more than 20 years, Kandinsky revealed his plan and Marc's:

"Since we both sensed the 'noise' earlier, we had prepared another exhibition."

"Kandinsky even thought back to the coup with malice." Not remembering the dates exactly, he informed Galka Scheyer , who represented Die Blaue Vier in America:

“I am writing to you on the paper of the NKVM, in which I was first chairman for 2-3 years. The letterhead is mine. My job ended with a nice row that led to the establishment of the 'Blue Rider'. Old times! The NKVM was founded in 1908, and I resigned at the end of 1911. Immediately afterwards, with the help of Franz Marc, I organized an exhibition for the editorial staff of B. [laue] R. [eiters] at Thannhauser. […] Since I foresaw the 'noise' in good time, I had prepared a wealth of exhibition material for the BR. [...] On the tables of the Thannhauser Gallery were the first copies of the 'Spiritual in Art'. The revenge was sweet! "

"Werefkin and Jawlensky never found out that they had been deceived."

The exhibitions of the NKVM

The 1st exhibition in 1909

Exhibition poster for the 1st exhibition in the Thannhauser Gallery
The Arco-Palais, Theatinerstraße 7, Munich

The first exhibition took place from December 1 to 15, 1909 in the modern gallery Heinrich Thannhauser in the Arco-Palais , Theatinerstraße 7, in Munich and showed 128 works by 16 artists, members and guests of the NKVM, namely Baum, Bechtejeff, Bossi , Emmi Dresler (1880–1962), Robert Eckert (1874 - before 1923), Erbslöh, Girieud, Karl Hofer , Jawlensky, Kandinsky, Kanoldt, Kogan, Kubin, Münter, Carla Pole (1883–1962), Werefkin. This exhibition received mostly negative reviews from the contemporary local press. The newspaper Münchner Latest Nachrichten wrote : “Either the majority of the members of this association are terminally insane, or we are dealing with a group of unscrupulous impostors who are well aware of the weakness of our contemporaries for sensations and try to meet this great demand use."

The 2nd exhibition in 1910

In the spring of 1910, the NKVM artists developed fresh activities in preparation for their next exhibition. It almost seems that after the scandal that had sparked last year, they wanted to challenge the conservative Munich art world again. Erbslöh - intimate of the Werefkin and secretary of the association - traveled to France in May to mobilize reinforcements in Paris, including artists of Fauvism . Girieud, Jawlensky's and Werefkin's close friend, was Erbslöh's guide for his research. Erbslöhs and Girieuds mission was successful, as the exhibitor list shows.

The second exhibition took place from September 1 to 14, 1910, also in the Thannhauser Gallery. This time she presented 115 works by 31 artists, namely Bechtejeff, Bossi, Georges Braque , Dawid Dawidowitsch Burljuk , Wladimir Burljuk , Wassily Denissoff (1862–1921 / 1942), André Derain , Kees van Dongen , Francisco Durio , Erbslöh, Henri Le Fauconnier , Girieud, Hermann Haller , Bernhard Hoetger , Jawlensky, Eugen von Kahler , Kandinsky, Kanoldt, Kogan, Kubin, Alexander Mogilewskij (1885–1980), Münter, Adolf Nieder (1873–19 ??), Pablo Picasso , Georges Rouault , Edwin Scharff , Seraphim Soudbinine (1870–1944), Maurice de Vlaminck , Werefkin.

It is still unclear why works by Jawlensky's alleged friend, Matisse, were missing. Interestingly, Henri Rousseau , whom Erbslöh and Girieud visited in his studio, was demonstrably planned . However, he had to cancel his participation in Munich because he had sold all of his pictures.

When the NKVM exhibition opened, it was again mocked by the press. There was talk of an "absurd exhibition", of "Stuss" and of "concentrated nonsense [...] from the most cannibalistic indigenous peoples up to the Neupariser Decadents." or that one is dealing with shameless bluffers. "

The 3rd exhibition in 1911

After the "crash" of December 2, it shrank to eight participants, the third and last joint exhibition of the NKVM from December 18, 1911 to January 1, 1912 was held again in the Thannhauser Gallery. The club remained loyal: Bechtejeff, the now married Erma Barrera-Bossi, Erbslöh, Girieud, Jawlensky, Kanoldt, Kogan and Werefkin. They showed a total of 58 works.

At an early stage, Kandinsky and Marc organized their own exhibition with a total of 14 artists in the same gallery under the name Der Blaue Reiter . These showed a total of 43 works. The brothers Burljuk, Kahler and Münter had converted for the exhibition of the Der Blaue Reiter editorial team. Works by Albert Bloch , Heinrich Campendonk , Robert Delaunay , Elisabeth Iwanowna Epstein , August Macke , Franz Marc , Jean-Bloé Niestlé , Rousseau and Arnold Schönberg were also exhibited .

The publication “Das Neue Bild” and the preliminary end of the NKVM

When Werefkin and Jawlensky returned from their summer vacation in Oberstdorf in 1912, they found the classy book Das Neue Bild by Otto Fischer , which was to serve as the NKVM's publication for the fourth exhibition, in print. It contains texts and illustrations of works by nine artists, namely: Bechtejeff, Barrera-Bossi, Erbslöh, Girieud, Jawlensky, Kanoldt, Kogan, Mogilewsky and Werefkin.

Werefkin was outraged by the text and the explanations about the individual artists in this book. Jawlensky, Bechtejeff and Mogilewsky shared their opinion. There was an extensive, violent correspondence between this party of the association and the others around Erbslöh. A letter from the Werefkin that she sent to Richart Reiche , the then director of the Barmen Art Association , provided information about the background and internal issues that led to the planned exhibition no longer being realized . In her indignation at the book, she asked Reiche:

“Have you read the book? Have you read that we scold people like Picasso and Kandinsky as fraudsters? Have you read that we, that is, the NKV, require representational art? [...] The book hit me like a whip! "

The rift ultimately led to Werefkin and Jawlensky leaving the NKVM towards the end of the year. From this point on, the association practically only existed on paper for years. It was not officially until 1920 that Erbslöh removed it from the Munich register of associations.

The 4th exhibition in 1934

From a letter from Erbslöh dated November 26, 1932 to the art historian Otto Fischer, who had written the first publication for the NKVM in 1912, we learned that the painter, together with his colleague Kanoldt, was holding a kind of retrospective with his companions for 1934 the pre-war period the NKVM planned: “ Dr. Last year, Reiche-Barmen suggested that Hofrat Pixis from the local art association organize a large exhibition for the members of the former Munich Art Association in 1934 for the 25th anniversary of the founding of the former New Artists' Association. "

Fischer, who meanwhile held the position of director of the art museum in Basel , learned from Erbslöh that the exhibition was to last from May 1934 to June 15, 1934. He himself would be part of the party. Bossi , Girieud , Jawlensky , Kandinsky , Kanoldt , Kubin and Münter would have “sent pleased approvals”. He expected answers from the other members, Bechtejeff , Fauconnier , Kogan , Mogilewsky and Werefkin , including Maria Marc , whom he had also invited to participate. What is interesting about the list is, on the one hand, the fact that Erbslöh's wife, who had never exhibited her pictures at the NKVM, wanted exhibits to be represented in the 4th exhibition. On the other hand, it is remarkable to learn from Erbslöh's letter that the "noise" that Kandinsky and Marc had staged on December 2, 1911 and which had led to the separation of the Blue Rider from the NKVM, had been overcome by the artists. It is also astonishing that Kandinsky in particular had no objections to a new joint appearance.

It was already planned to give the exhibition a special character through both a historical and a current aspect: “Since we have a lot of space (the Kunstverein makes all its rooms available to us), Kanoldt and I came up with the idea, not only To make a quasi 'historical' exhibition, but also to exhibit more recent works by the members (Kandinsky finds this idea particularly happy). You could make about 2 departments, one with the works created in the years (approximately) 1909 - 1914, the other with the later works of the individual members [...] I almost forgot to mention the art antiquariat Walz in the Amalienstrasse here at the same time (also May 1934) would like to have a graphics exhibition of the former members of the New KVM - so that these 2 exhibitions could complement each other in the most beautiful way. With best regards to you and your wife, also from my wife, your old Erbslöh. "

Erbslöh and Kanoldt could no longer realize the exhibition idea because after Adolf Hitler's seizure of power on January 30, 1933, the paintings of the members of the former NKVM were outlawed as degenerate . This meant the final end of the NKVM

literature

  • Otto Fischer : The new picture , publication of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München. Delphin-Verlag , Munich 1912
  • Lothar-Günther Buchheim : The Blue Rider and the “New Munich Artists' Association” . Buchheim, Feldafing 1959
  • Herta Hesse-Frielinghaus : The new Munich artists' association, the Blue Rider and the Folkwang Museum Hagen . Osthaus Museum, Hagen 1980
  • Annegret Hoberg , Helmut Friedel (Ed.): The Blue Rider and the New Image. From the “New Munich Artists' Association” to the “Blue Rider” . Exhibition catalog, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Prestel, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-7913-2065-3
  • Ute Mings: Kandinsky, Münter, Jawlensky, Werefkin and Co., Die Neue Künstlervereinigung München (1909–1912) . Radio play, Bayerischer Rundfunk 2, January 24, 2009

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Valentine Macardé: Le renouveau de l'art russe picturale 1863-1914 , Lausanne f 1971 S. 135th
  2. ↑ Gustav Pauli: Memories from Seven Decades , Tübingen 1936, p. 264 ff.
  3. ^ Annegret Hoberg: Titia Hoffmeister, Karl-Heinz Meißner: Anthology . In: Annegret Hoberg, Helmut Friedel (Ed.): The Blue Rider and the New Image. From the “New Munich Artists' Association” to the “Blue Rider” . Exhibition catalog, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Prestel, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-7913-2065-3 , p. 29
  4. ^ Klaus Lankheit (ed.): Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc. Correspondence . Munich 1983, p. 29
  5. ↑ Annegret Hoberg, Helmut Friedel (ed.): The Blue Rider and the New Image. From the “New Munich Artists' Association” to the “Blue Rider” . Exhibition catalog, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Prestel, Munich 1999, p. 30
  6. ↑ Hans Wille: Adolf Erbslöh . Bongers, Recklinghausen 1982, p. 15f.
  7. ↑ Bernd Fäthke: Dirt on the stick, Exciting facts about the genesis of the Blue Rider . Handelsblatt, 7./8. April 2000
  8. ↑ Bernd Fäthke: The Blue Rider, exhibition of the Kunsthalle Bremen . Weltkunst, Vol. 70, No. 5, May 2000, p. 905
  9. ^ Hans Konrad Roethel, Jean K. Benjamin: Kandinsky, catalog raisonné of oil paintings 1900–1915 , vol. I, London 1982, no. 400, p. 385
  10. ^ Maria Marc, letter to August Macke, December 3, 1911, see: Wolfgang Macke (ed.): August Macke / Franz Marc. Correspondence . Cologne 1964, p. 84 f.
  11. ^ Annegret Hoberg: Franz and Maria Marc . Munich 2004, p. 72
  12. ^ Wassily Kandinsky: Our friendship. Memories of Franz Marc . In: Klaus Lankheit: Franz Marc in the judgment of his time, texts and perspectives , Cologne 1960, p. 48
  13. ↑ Bernd Fäthke: Jawlensky and his companions in a new light . Munich 2004, p. 158
  14. ↑ Wassily Kandinsky: On the spiritual in art, especially in painting , Munich 1912, (The first edition was published by Piper in Munich at the end of 1911 with the imprint 1912)
  15. ↑ Kandinsky to Scheyer, November 22, 1938. In: Bernd Fäthke: Alexej Jawlensky, heads etched and painted. The Wiesbaden years . Galerie Draheim, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-037815-7 , p. 56 ff., Figs. 54 and 55
  16. ↑ Bernd Fäthke: Werefkin and Jawlensky with their son Andreas in the "Murnauer Zeit" . In: 1908–2008, 100 Years Ago, Kandinsky, Münter, Jawlensky, Werefkin in Murnau . Exhibition catalog. Murnau 2008, p. 60
  17. ↑ Rosel Gollek: The Blue Rider in the Lenbachhaus Munich , Munich 1974, p 262 f.
  18. ↑ Rosel Gollek: The Blue Rider in the Lenbachhaus Munich , Munich 1982, pp 393 et seq.
  19. ↑ Véronique Serrano: Experience modern et conviction classique . In: Pierre Girieud et l'expérience de la modernité, 1900–1912 . Exhibition catalog, Musée Cantini. Marseille 1996, p. 121. The author points out that Girieud was wrong in naming the year.
  20. ↑ Annegret Hoberg, Helmut Friedel (ed.): The Blue Rider and the New Image. From the “New Munich Artists' Association” to the “Blue Rider” . Exhibition catalog, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Prestel, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-7913-2065-3 , p. 364 f.
  21. ↑ Otto Fischer: Das neue Bild, published by the Neue Künstlervereinigung München , Munich 1912
  22. ↑ Bernd Fäthke: Marianne Werefkin , Munich 2001, p. 180 ff. The majority of the artist's artistic and literary estate is kept in the Fondazione Marianne Werefkin in Ascona.
  23. ↑ This letter is twelve pages long and is still informative today for research into the events of that time, see: Bernd Fäthke: 1911. The Blue Rider with Jawlensky in Ahrenshoop, Prerow and Zingst, Blue Rider in Munich and Berlin , 8th communication from the association der Berliner Künstlerinnen 1998, Berlin 1998, pp. X-XXI. There the handwritten letter is printed in full.
  24. ↑ Quoted from Wassily Kandinsky: About the Spiritual in Art , 9th Edition Munich 2002, p. 70. In Norbert Göttler: Der Blaue Reiter , Rowohlt, Reinbek 2008, p. 72
  25. ^ Original in the Munich City Archives
  26. ↑ Otto Fischer: The new picture . Publication of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München, Munich 1912
  27. ↑ Adolf Erbslöh: Letter to Otto Fischer of November 26, 1932. In: Hilde Flory-Fischer: Otto Fischer, An Art Historian of the Twentieth Century, Reutlingen 1886 - Basel 1948. Reutlingen 1986, p. 38
  28. ↑ Kandinsky's formulation in a letter to Galka Scheyer of November 22, 1938, with which he betrayed his and Marc's intrigue. This two-sided letter is published in full with Kandinsky's handwritten signature by: Bernd Fäthke: Alexej Jawlensky, heads etched and painted. The Wiesbaden years . Galerie Draheim, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-037815-7 , p. 56 ff., Figs. 54 and 55
  29. ↑ Adolf Erbslöh: Letter to Otto Fischer of November 26, 1932. In: Hilde Flory-Fischer: Otto Fischer, An Art Historian of the Twentieth Century, Reutlingen 1886 - Basel 1948. Reutlingen 1986, p. 39
  30. ^ Bernd Fäthke: The 4th exhibition of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München . In: Bernd Fäthke: Alexej Jawlensky, heads etched and painted. The Wiesbaden years . Galerie Draheim, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-037815-7 , p. 35 ff.