Woensam press

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The Woensam press was an association of German graphic artists in the 1930s.

The association was founded in Cologne in August 1934 by Wilhelm Geißler and Franz M. Jansen as the "Werkgemeinschaft Rheinischer Graphiciker". The “godfather” and namesake of the group was the graphic artist Anton Woensam .

The first members of the artists' association were Willi Geißler, Franz Maria Jansen, Peter Straussfeld , Anton Wolff , Käthe Schmitz-Imhoff and Irmgart Zumloh . Erich Sperling , Rudolf Riege , Anny Schröder , Walther Klemm , Carl Barth , Rudi Rhein , Richard Schwarzkopf , Hans Page , Heinrich Hussmann and Johannes Wohlfahrt were added later .

In the light of the national awakening and as a reaction to the so-called degenerate art , affordable graphics and original artistic prints were to be offered to the “ German Volksgenossen ”. The gap between artist and people, like that between arts and crafts, should be bridged. In addition to the circle of artists, also known as the “Woensam Ring of Creators”, there was a second circle of art lovers and collectors, the “Woersam Ring of Patrons”. The sponsoring members supported the artists and received works with a minimum value of RM 25 each year .

Work from 1934 to 1944

The first graphic edition of the ring was a woodcut portfolio with the title “The Black Mirror”, which contained the work of the founding members. Christmas 1934 the group published a folder "Christmas" with original prints. In 1935 the Woensam-Presse organized several evenings in Cologne bookstores, at which portfolios with art sheets and graphics were offered after the readings. For example, the folder “In Praise of Work” on Nazi worker poetry, and the folder “Rhenish Landscape” on Nazi peasant poetry. In 1936 a portfolio with 12 works was published, called “Der Jahreskreis” and woodcuts “In Memoriam Anton Woensam”. In 1937 the annual gifts for the support group were “Two Boys”, “Winter”, “Rhine Ships” and “Netzflicker”.

The Woensam press had exactly hit the zeitgeist and was extremely successful. Initially only in the Rhineland - later throughout the entire Reich - her work was shown in traveling exhibitions in museums and art associations in over 30 cities . The "national interest", promoted by the Nazi cultural community , was reflected in the composition of the board of the Woensam press from 1941:

1st chairman: Wilhelm Geißler (Cologne), 2nd chairman: Erich Feyerabend (Stuttgart), assessors: Erich Dombrowski (Munich) and Rudi Rhein (Cologne)

This very active group of artists, which made up a small, hard core and a large group of sympathizers, was active in the distribution of their products until the end of the Second World War .

literature

  • Ute Haug: The Cologne Art Association during National Socialism , dissertation 1998.