Upper Hessian Artists Association

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The Oberhessischer Künstlerbund e. V. Gießen , abbreviated to OKB , is anchored in Gießen and Wetzlar and represents artists from the Lahn-Dill district , the Vogelsberg district , the Wetterau district , the Hochtaunus district and the Marburg-Biedenkopf district . The artists' association has the legal form of a registered association .

history

In May 1943, the Upper Hessian Artists' Association was founded by the Giessen artists Hanns Hagenauer , Hellmuth Mueller-Leutert and Carl Bourcarde. The first draft of the statutes states: “The OKB is committed to the diversity of the visual arts and is open to all interested visual artists. The question is not whether objective or abstract, the alternative is good or bad. ”The benchmark for the inclusion of artists should - regardless of the artistic direction - be solely the“ artistic qualitative achievement ”. This was intended to counter the propaganda questioning of the fine arts by the National Socialists with the ideal of freedom of art. In view of the execution of the Giessen artist Heinrich Will in February 1943 for eavesdropping on enemy radio stations, the establishment of the OKB can be seen as a courageous demonstration. Hanns Hagenauer became the first chairman of the association. With the support of local cultural politicians, he was accepted into the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts , which was a prerequisite for the association's public activity. The first exhibition took place from June to August 1943 in the Kurhaus Bad Nauheim . After just a few exhibitions, in which the distance to the regime became apparent, the local political supporters of the association were urged to stop their cooperation with the OKB. The exhibition activity had to be ended.

After the end of the war, in September 1945 the OKB was the first artists' association to be granted a license in the American-occupied Hesse, "in view of its clear resistance character". Hanns Hagenauer became chairman again. Since there were hardly any other artists' associations, the number of artists organized in the OKB rose to “over 100 members, based in all parts of Germany”. Supporting members and honorary members such as the art historian Richard Hamann were accepted as extraordinary members . In the post-war years, the OKB campaigned for material procurement for artistic work as well as for living space allocation, helped with the procurement of studio space and arranged contacts with authorities. On the initiative of the OKB board, the regional association of visual artists was founded in 1947, which later became a member of the BBK . In 1950 Ludwig Güngerich was elected as the new chairman. In the following years the number of members decreased and the financial situation of the association was strained. In 1969 there was a break. Members such as Hellmuth Mueller-Leutert , Alfred Fischer, Paul Klose or Ruth Leibnitz left the OKB and founded Group 9 . In 1971 Ludwig Güngerich resigned as chairman of the OKB. He was succeeded by Peter Merck. As a member of the State Association of Visual Artists and thus subordinate to the BBK, the OKB officially acted as the Association of Visual Artists - Lahn from 1977 at the request of the BBK . In 1979 the association left the BBK and again took on the designation of Upper Hessian Artists Association.

Today the association is supported in addition to the active members by the sponsoring memberships of citizens interested in art. The association publishes annual editions of the exhibiting artists for the regular annual exhibitions at changing locations. Since 2009 the exhibitions have been organized by changing curators. Dieter Hoffmeister has been chairman and artistic director since 2003.

Board

  • Since 2003: Dieter Hoffmeister
  • 1997 - 2003: Kurt Heyne
  • 1992 - 1997: Heinz-Georg Baumgarten
  • 1986 - 1992: Dietrich Grünewald
  • 1982 - 1986: Gerd Römer
  • 1980 - 1982: Theodor Klaßen
  • 1979 - 1980: Helmuth Zerbach
  • 1976 - 1979: Heinrich Vetter
  • 1975 - 1976: Heinz Aubel
  • 1971 - 1975: Peter Merck
  • 1950 - 1971: Ludwig Güngerich
  • 1943 - 1950: Hanns Hagenauer

Former members (selection)

Literature (selection)

  • Pas de deux of positions - the exhibition "Paarlauf" in the art station . In: Fuldaer Nachrichten, February 1, 2009.
  • Kunststation Kleinsassen eV (Ed.), Paarlauf . Catalog for the exhibition of the same name by the OKB in the Kleinsassen art station. With texts by Christian Kaufmann and Dieter Hoffmeister. Hofbieber 2009, without ISBN.
  • With tradition and ambition, art and cultural associations in our region . In: Business magazine of the IHK Gießen-Friedberg, 8th year, issue 5, May 2007.
  • Upper Hessian Artists Association. 38 portraits . With texts by Kurt Heyne, Dagmar Klein and Klaus Peter Möller . Giessen 1999, without ISBN.
  • Upper Hessian Artists Association 1943-1993 . Catalog of the members for the 50th anniversary of the Künstlerbund. Druckkollektiv GmbH, Giessen 1993, without ISBN.
  • Oberhessischer Künstlerbund e. V. Giessen . Catalog of the members for the 45th anniversary of the Künstlerbund. With texts by Dietrich Grünewald and Friedhelm Häring . Ehgart + Albohn, Fernwald 1989, without ISBN.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See: 50 Years of the Oberhessischer Künstlerbund, in: Oberhessischer Künstlerbund 1943-1993. Catalog of the members for the 50th anniversary of the Künstlerbund. Druckkollektiv GmbH, Giessen 1993, p. 12.
  2. ↑ Irene Ewinkel: Manet in Marburg - Art Promotion as Political Education? In: Benno Hafeneger, Wolfram Schäfer (Ed.): Marburg in the post-war years . Vol. 1. Marburger Stadtschriften zur Geschichte und Kultur Vol. 65, Rathaus-Verlag Marburg 1998, ISBN 978-3-923820-65-8 , pp. 383–404, here p. 390
  3. ↑ About us - The Upper Hessian Association of Artists , OKB website
  4. ^ A b Kurt Kühnemann: New life from ruins: pouring in and after the zero hour; People and forces of reconstruction, a documentation. Brühl, Gießen 1983, ISBN 3-922300-19-7 , p. 54
  5. ↑ See: 50 Years of the Oberhessischer Künstlerbund, in: Oberhessischer Künstlerbund 1943-1993. Catalog of the members for the 50th anniversary of the Künstlerbund. Druckkollektiv GmbH, Giessen 1993, p. 16.