Page 57 - Studio International - February 1972

the challenge and turn what seems withdrawn, and the Kestner- complete responsibility of the All this represents a considerable
to be imminent disaster into even Gesellschaft remained independent. artistic director could be sensed: his amount of planning. Some of it
qualified success. Meanwhile, It held as firmly to its Director, belief that here, in this exhibition, is can only be realized in 1974 and
Munich galleries, notable among Justus Bier, as it did to its exhibition one of those artists whose work will other, more immediate projects,
them Heiner Friedrich and Dorothea policy and he was a Jew. It was remain, whose voice will still be will be added in the meantime. q
Leonhart, continue to import most because he had not been dismissed heard in the future. Küppers, WIELAND SCHMIED
of their artists from outside Munich that the Gestapo moved in in 1936 Alexander Dorner and Bier in the
and the art students continue to rent and forcibly closed an exhibition. twenties and thirties were no different
their attic rooms in the Schwabing All further activities were then in this respect from Alfred Hentzen,
district convinced that it remains forbidden. The Kestner-Gesellschaft Werner Schmalenbach and now,
what it once was : the German is therefore, apart from the Bauhaus, since 1963, the author of this article.
Montmartre. q the only institution connected with Mistakes of course have been and
FRANK ZEITZ the visual arts in Germany which will always be made. But the list of The Kunstverein
was banned by the Nazis because exhibitions since 1916 reveals how
there was no possibility of bringing rarely such mistakes occurred. The crisis
it into line, to `refunction' it. names of almost all the leaders of the
Reconstruction after the war was art of this century appear on it. The For a long time now the German
difficult. A bomb-site was bought Kestner-Gesellschaft is proud to Kunstvereine have been in 'a state
because the first, original premises think that it has always quickly of crisis'. If one is to believe a host
had been destroyed. Every brick, recognized and exhibited the work of of articles (which only began to take
The Kestner- every sack of cement was obtained such leading figures. In recent years such an interest in these bodies with
the advent of crisis), trouble has
Gesellschaft in the most adventurous of most of the work of the association become their trademark. The arts
circumstances, and there was a
has been devoted on the one hand to
constant need for ingenious ideas to Pop and Surrealism and on the other page headlines in German dailies
The Kestner-Gesellschaft in ensure a regular supply of the to Constructive and Kinetic Art. and weeklies are variations on the
Hanover is one of the best-known necessary materials. In the autumn The following artists had their first theme of Kunstvereine in Crisis'
German Kunstvereine, and was of 1948 everything was ready and the retrospectives in Germany at the —occasionally, whether out of
founded in 1916 in the middle of the Kestner-Gesellschaft started once Kestner-Gesellschaft : caution or curiosity, still adding a
First World War. The mayor of the more to throw light on the Hundertwasser, Richard Oelze, question mark.
city at that time, a thoroughly international art scene. Victor Brauner, Marcel Duchamp, Kunstvereine? Such things
honourable man, was a mortal foe of Two decades later it became clear Konrad Klapheck, Wilfredo Lam, exist nowhere else but West
progress—not only in artistic but all that the premises were too Hans Bellmer, Pierre Roy, Roy Germany. Literally translatable as
other fields—and is reputed to have restricting. Building had to begin Lichtenstein, Richard Lidner, `Art Societies', most of them are
said : 'As long as I have anything to again, and once again results were René Magritte, Giorgio de Chirico, cultural bodies whose aim is to
do with what happens in Hanover no achieved entirely through the efforts R. B. Kitaj, Jim Dine, David spread information about the
Nolde, no Rohlfs, no Klee and no of the association alone, through Hockney, Alex Colville, and these development of art, particularly in
Kandinsky will ever enter this town!' donations from members, without first German retrospectives were the last ten years, through
Not only the doors of the museum public funds. interspersed with exhibitions of exhibitions and catalogues. Though
therefore but also those of the Plans by the architect Peter Victor Vasarely, Mark Tobey, Alan they may take a middleman's
Kunstverein, dominated as it was by Hübotter made it possible to build a Davie, Auguste Herbin, Josef commission on sales from their
the city authorities, stayed closed to much larger house without using Albers, Max Bill, Soto, Lucio exhibitions, they are not in fact
modern art, and what could be seen much more than the already existing Fontana, and Bridget Riley. commercially oriented and fall
there was 'fatherland art'. Modern land at Ib Warmbuechenstrasse. And what are the plans for 1972 somewhere between the
art ended with Liebermann. Some of This house more than doubled the and 73 ? Pol Bury's work can be seen subsidized public gallery and the
the city's inhabitants, teachers, exhibition space. There are now at the Kestner-Gesellschaft until the private dealer's gallery. Their
doctors, lawyers, intellectuals and more than 500 square metres on two end of February, an artist who has relatively complicated internal
businessmen, thought that this storeys, plus a terrace for sculpture. been called 'the slowest of all the structure is based on a larger or
wasn't the right thing at all. Nolde, After fifteen months of building the kineticists'. He is followed by the smaller membership (the
Klee and Kandinsky should indeed new house was opened in November spectacular Jean Tinguely, then the Kunstverein of the Rhineland and
be brought to Hanover. So they 1971 when there was an exhibition of German artist Günter Uecker, who Westphalia, the largest, has about
founded a private association to do the work of the Belgian kinetic exhibited here some years ago with 6500 members, some of the smaller
the job: the Kestner-Gesellschaft, artist Pol Bury. the other members of the Zero ones less than 2000), and anyone
which they named after August With its 3500 or more members group. And works will now be prepared to pay an annual
Kestner (who died in 1851) son of the Kestner-Gesellschaft is today the shown which could not previously subscription of DM20-50 can
Goethe's Lotte who had been third largest Kunstverein in Germany. be exhibited because of the lack of become a member. At first sight,
Hanover's leading art patron. Its programme continues to explore space. After the important therefore, the Kunstverein seems an
The young Kestner-Gesellschaft all aspects of contemporary art. Surrealists the most important admirable instrument of a
flourished. With great energy it Since its foundation it has been German kinetic artists will have middle-class love and practical
supported Kurt Schwitters who had one of the principles of the Kestner- exhibitions. The young Italian encouragement of art.
his first exhibition there. El Lissitzky Gesellschaft to concentrate on Constructivist Marcello Morandi The members generally meet
lived for two years as a guest of the one-man exhibitions, and there are will be shown, the American once a year and elect from their
Kestner-Gesellschaft in their guest three reasons for this. Firstly, it painters Nicholas Krushenik and ranks a committee, with a chairman
studio and created for the society his seems important to emphasize today Allan D'Arcangelo. The Surrealist and two deputies, to represent the
Proun-portfolio with six lithographs. as ever the role of the individual Matta will be shown, and the names Kunstverein. This honorary,
Later Vordemberge-Gildewart lived artistic personality, or, as Paul Henri Michaux and Jean Dubuffet unpaid body is in turn responsible
in the same studio. Erich Küppers expressed it in the appear on the future programme. for appointing a manager or (more
The time when the Kestner- very first catalogue in 1916: 'Art is Asger Jorn, the most important often) a director, who bears the
Gesellschaft was really tested, always produced by individuals and figure of the Cobra Group, will also whole burden of organizing the
however, came after 1933. Until 1936 not by movements'. Secondly, for be given his first German entire range of the society's artistic
it was able to continue its programme didactic reasons, art historical retrospective. The English artists and non-artistic activities-often
unchanged with exhibitions of developments and achievements can Eduardo Paolozzi and Richard with only a secretary and a few
Nolde, Beckmann, Macke and Marc always be presented most Hamilton will be showing, and from technical assistants to help him. In
in spite of all the pressures exerted convincingly in terms of the life and Italy, Michelangelo Pistoletto. practice this man's job is equivalent
on it by the Nazis. Every exhibition work of single, exceptional artists. Recent German art will not be to that of the director of a municipal
supported precisely those kinds of And thirdly, because the Kestner- forgotten either. The most important or State gallery, though falling far
art which were being officially Gesellschaft never intended to native artists who will show here in short in legal terms, since it is a
banned as 'degenerate'. Because the provide the kind of free forum where the next few years are: Franz terminable appointment and not
association had, until then, received all kinds of new tendencies could be Erhard Walther, Gerd Richter, (like that of the civil servant) for life.
no financial support from the city or discussed, but wanted to stage Dieter Rot, Heinz Mack and Jan The insecurity of tenure affects not
the state no official support could be exhibitions behind which the Voss. only the wording of the Kunstverein