Ernst Barlach House
Encyclopedia
The Ernst Barlach House – Hermann F. Reemtsma Foundation is an art museum in Hamburg
, Germany
, devoted to the Expressionist
artist Ernst Barlach
.
The museum was founded by the industrialist Hermann F. Reemtsma, and is located in the Jenischpark
in the west of the city. The squat, functionalist
museum building was begun in 1961 by the Hamburg architect Werner Kallmorgen, finished in 1962 after Reemtsma's death, and extended in 1996 with new rooms for temporary exhibitions. There is also a library containing literature on Barlach and his era.
Reemtsma had begun to build a collection of Barlach's works in the mid-1930s, after first meeting the multi-talented draughtsman
, graphic artist, sculptor
and dramatist. Towards the end of the decade he sought to defend this collection as securely as possible against Fascist vandalism, after Barlach's cenotaphs in Kiel
(Holy Ghost Church) and Güstrow
(cathedral) were destroyed, 381 of his works were seized, and Barlach was classified as a "degenerate
" artist and banned from working or being exhibited.
In the 1950s Reemtsma established the art foundation that bears his name, in order to preserve Barlach's works and make them accessible to the public. Shortly before his death in 1961 he commissioned the construction of the museum, which now states that its inventory has more than doubled since then and includes "around 140 works in wood, bronze, ceramics, porcelain, terracotta and plaster, more than 400 drawings from all his creative periods, almost all his printed graphics, as well as important autographs, rare portfolios, first editions and records".
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, devoted to the Expressionist
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
artist Ernst Barlach
Ernst Barlach
Ernst Barlach was a German expressionist sculptor, printmaker and writer. Although he was a supporter of the war in the years leading to World War I, his participation in the war made him change his position, and he is mostly known for his sculptures protesting against the war...
.
The museum was founded by the industrialist Hermann F. Reemtsma, and is located in the Jenischpark
Jenisch House
Jenisch House is a country house in Hamburg built in the 19th century and an example of Hanseatic lifestyle and neoclassical architecture. As of 2008, Jenisch House is the home of the Museum für Kunst und Kultur an der Elbe.-History:...
in the west of the city. The squat, functionalist
Functionalism
Functionalism may refer to:* Functionalism , or structural functionalism, a theoretical tradition within sociology and anthropology* Functionalism * Functionalism...
museum building was begun in 1961 by the Hamburg architect Werner Kallmorgen, finished in 1962 after Reemtsma's death, and extended in 1996 with new rooms for temporary exhibitions. There is also a library containing literature on Barlach and his era.
Reemtsma had begun to build a collection of Barlach's works in the mid-1930s, after first meeting the multi-talented draughtsman
Draughtsman
A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
, graphic artist, sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
and dramatist. Towards the end of the decade he sought to defend this collection as securely as possible against Fascist vandalism, after Barlach's cenotaphs in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
(Holy Ghost Church) and Güstrow
Güstrow
Güstrow is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany the capital of the district of Güstrow. It has a population of 30,500 and is the seventh largest town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Since 2006 Güstrow has the official suffix Barlachstadt.-Geography:The town of Güstrow is located...
(cathedral) were destroyed, 381 of his works were seized, and Barlach was classified as a "degenerate
Degenerate art
Degenerate art is the English translation of the German entartete Kunst, a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art. Such art was banned on the grounds that it was un-German or Jewish Bolshevist in nature, and those identified as degenerate artists were...
" artist and banned from working or being exhibited.
In the 1950s Reemtsma established the art foundation that bears his name, in order to preserve Barlach's works and make them accessible to the public. Shortly before his death in 1961 he commissioned the construction of the museum, which now states that its inventory has more than doubled since then and includes "around 140 works in wood, bronze, ceramics, porcelain, terracotta and plaster, more than 400 drawings from all his creative periods, almost all his printed graphics, as well as important autographs, rare portfolios, first editions and records".