Wilhelm Höpfner

Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Höpfner (born May 17, 1899 in Magdeburg ; † March 14, 1968 there ) was a German graphic artist .

Life

Höpfner was born the son of the musician Ernst Höpfner . He spent his early childhood in Nuremberg until the family returned to Magdeburg in 1907 - the father had found a job at the Magdeburg City Theater .

In 1918 Höpfner first studied one semester with Richard Winckel at the Magdeburg School of Applied Arts and Crafts , but then went to the state art school in Berlin . Here he passed his exams as a drawing teacher for high schools in 1921 . In the same year he took up a teaching position in Magdeburg , where he joined the left-wing artists' association Die Kugel , where he met the architect Bruno Taut .

From 1921 Höpfner undertook various trips abroad. Until 1937 he visited Italy seven times . Many of his graphics were created from the impressions of these trips .

In 1922 he took part in an exhibition of the Berlin Secession with four etchings and, on behalf of Taut, designed the painting of the Schinkelsaal in the society building of the Magdeburg monastery garden, which is no longer preserved today . In the Magdeburger Volksstimme he published various satirical drawings as a freelancer.

In 1926 he went back to Berlin, where he made the acquaintance of Max Liebermann and Käthe Kollwitz . In 1929 he exhibited four graphics for the Threepenny Opera in the Berlin exhibition of the Prussian Academy of the Arts .

In 1931, however, he resumed his work in the Magdeburg school service. During the time of National Socialism , five of his works were confiscated as degenerate . Höpfner exhibited only rarely.

Höpfner did his military service on the German side in World War II and was taken prisoner. In 1945 he returned to Magdeburg and started teaching again. Here he got involved with Hermann Bruse and Bruno Beye in a denazification campaign and campaigned for the promotion of young talent. Höpfner, who worked as a teacher at the Magdeburg Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium, also belonged to the Kulturbund in various functions . From 1952 to 1959 Höpfner was chairman of the Association of Visual Artists in the Magdeburg district .

In 1955 and 1959, major exhibitions of his works took place in Halle (Saale) and Magdeburg. In 1961 Höpfner was awarded the Erich Weinert Art Prize of the City of Magdeburg. Höpfner founded the graphic group in the Kulturbund, of which he was chairman from 1964 to 1968.

After his death, Johanna Höpfner became involved in his work. Several major exhibitions followed, also abroad.

Honors

The Winckelmann Society in Stendal has been awarding the Wilhelm Höpfner Prize for the promotion of young graphic artists since 1984 . The city of Magdeburg named a street in his honor as Wilhelm-Höpfner-Ring .

Works

Höpfner left behind more than 2000 works, mainly etchings , but also lithographs and material prints . The latter emerged in the last years of life. In addition, some watercolors and oil paintings have also been preserved.

His works are described as idiosyncratic, bizarre and sometimes poetic.

The graphic consequences are particularly remarkable:

• Threepenny Opera and Chaplin , 1928/29
• Fables by Aesop and Krylov , 1950/54
• Magdeburg heads , from 1954

literature

• Jörg-Heiko Bruns: Höpfner, Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst. In: Guido Heinrich, Gunter Schandera (ed.): Magdeburg Biographical Lexicon 19th and 20th centuries. Biographical lexicon for the state capital Magdeburg and the districts of Bördekreis, Jerichower Land, Ohrekreis and Schönebeck. Scriptum, Magdeburg 2002, ISBN 3-933046-49-1 .
• Martin Wiehle : Magdeburg personalities. Published by the Magistrate of the City of Magdeburg, Department of Culture. imPuls Verlag, Magdeburg 1993, ISBN 3-910146-06-6 .
• Winckelmann-Gesellschaft Stendal [Hrsg.], Wilhelm Höpfner 1899–1968 Prints and watercolors complete directory Stendal 1980.

Web links

• Biography In: uni-magdeburg.de, accessed on February 11, 2016.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Wilhelm Höpfner Prize Stendal , bbk-berlin.de