Fritz Stuckenberg
Encyclopedia
Fritz Stuckenberg was a German expressionist painter.
He was born as Friedrich Bernhard Stuckenberg in Munich
, but moved with his family in 1893 to the northern industrial city of Delmenhorst
(near Bremen
), where his father took over as director of the Hansa-Linoleumwerke. After unfinished studies of architecture and art studies in Weimar
and Munich, he spent five formative years (1907-1913) in Paris. From there he made excursions to Pont-Aven
as well as to the Provence
(Cassis, Martigues
) where he "cleaned his palette". He belonged to the circle of artists in the „Café Du Dôme“ and exhibited in some of the best „Salons“ and galleries in Paris. Coming back to Germany, he took residence in Berlin, where he was discovered in 1916 by Herwarth Walden
and integrated into the Sturm
circle. He became friends with Georg Muche
, Arnold Topp, Walter Mehring
and Mynona. Disillusioned with Walden, he joined in 1919 the Arbeitsrat für Kunst
around Walter Gropius
and Bruno Taut
, later the Novembergruppe. Several „Sturm“-exhibitions, participation in the first Berlin Dadaist exhibition, inclusion in the third Bauhaus
portfolio, mark his rank in the artists' scene of these years. In the early 1920s, his works were shown in Germany, the USA and the Soviet Union as that of a pioneer of the European avantgarde. Severe illness and financial problems forced Stuckenberg nevertheless to return to his parents in "gloomy Delmenhorst" (as he writes in a letter to the Flemish dadaist Paul van Ostaijen
). Under increasingly difficult conditions, both political and personal, he developed a constructivist and spiritualist late work. All of his pictures were removed from German museums (and some of them destroyed) during the Nazi purges. In the infamous exhibition on "Entartete Kunst" in 1937, his „Straße mit Häusern“ (street with houses, 1921) was exhibited as an example of "degenerate art
". During the Second World War he moved to the South of Germany and died there, already almost forgotten. In 1993 he was rediscovered as a part of the modern art avantgarde with a retrospective in Delmenhorst, Berlin and Neuss. A large part of his surviving work is now to be seen in the Städtische Galerie Delmenhorst.
He was born as Friedrich Bernhard Stuckenberg in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, but moved with his family in 1893 to the northern industrial city of Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst is an urban district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located 10 km/6 miles west of downtown Bremen with which it forms a contiguous urban area, whereas the city of Oldenburg is 25 km/15 miles to the northwest. The city has a total area of 62.36 km²...
(near Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
), where his father took over as director of the Hansa-Linoleumwerke. After unfinished studies of architecture and art studies in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
and Munich, he spent five formative years (1907-1913) in Paris. From there he made excursions to Pont-Aven
Pont-Aven
Pont-Aven is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called in French Pontavenistes.-History:...
as well as to the Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
(Cassis, Martigues
Martigues
Martigues is a commune northwest of Marseille. It is part of the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the eastern end of the Canal de Caronte....
) where he "cleaned his palette". He belonged to the circle of artists in the „Café Du Dôme“ and exhibited in some of the best „Salons“ and galleries in Paris. Coming back to Germany, he took residence in Berlin, where he was discovered in 1916 by Herwarth Walden
Herwarth Walden
Herwarth Walden was a German Expressionist artist and art expert in many disciplines...
and integrated into the Sturm
Sturm
Sturm may refer to:In persons:* Sturm , surname * Saint Sturm, 8th-century monkIn food:* Federweisser, known as Sturm in Austria, wine in the fermentation stage* Sturm Foods, an American dry grocery manufacturer...
circle. He became friends with Georg Muche
Georg Muche
Georg Muche was a German painter, printmaker, architect, author, and teacher.-Early life and education:Georg Muche was born on 8 May 1895 in Querfurt, in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany and grew up in the Rhön area...
, Arnold Topp, Walter Mehring
Walter Mehring
Walter Mehring was a German author and one of the most prominent satirical authors in the Weimar Republic. He was banned during the Third Reich, and fled the country.-Biographical:...
and Mynona. Disillusioned with Walden, he joined in 1919 the Arbeitsrat für Kunst
Arbeitsrat für Kunst
The Arbeitsrat für Kunst was a union of architects, painters, sculptors and art writers, who were based in Berlin from 1918 to 1921...
around Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
and Bruno Taut
Bruno Taut
Bruno Julius Florian Taut , was a prolific German architect, urban planner and author active during the Weimar period....
, later the Novembergruppe. Several „Sturm“-exhibitions, participation in the first Berlin Dadaist exhibition, inclusion in the third Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
portfolio, mark his rank in the artists' scene of these years. In the early 1920s, his works were shown in Germany, the USA and the Soviet Union as that of a pioneer of the European avantgarde. Severe illness and financial problems forced Stuckenberg nevertheless to return to his parents in "gloomy Delmenhorst" (as he writes in a letter to the Flemish dadaist Paul van Ostaijen
Paul van Ostaijen
Paul van Ostaijen was a Flemish poet and writer.Van Ostaijen was born in Antwerp. His nickname was Mister 1830, because of his habit of walking along the streets of Antwerp clothed as a dandy from that year....
). Under increasingly difficult conditions, both political and personal, he developed a constructivist and spiritualist late work. All of his pictures were removed from German museums (and some of them destroyed) during the Nazi purges. In the infamous exhibition on "Entartete Kunst" in 1937, his „Straße mit Häusern“ (street with houses, 1921) was exhibited as an example of "degenerate art
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...
". During the Second World War he moved to the South of Germany and died there, already almost forgotten. In 1993 he was rediscovered as a part of the modern art avantgarde with a retrospective in Delmenhorst, Berlin and Neuss. A large part of his surviving work is now to be seen in the Städtische Galerie Delmenhorst.
Sources
- Andrea Wandschneider/Barbara Alms (eds.): Fritz Stuckenberg 1881-1944, Berlin: Argon 1993.
- Barbara Alms (ed.): Fritz Stuckenberg. Vertrauter der Farben (exposition catalogue), Bremen: Hauschild 1998.
- Barbara Alms (ed.): Paris leuchtet. Bremen: Hachmannedition 2007.