2nd exhibition of the exhibition series: Rostock’s Classical Modernism: “Degenerate Art” from the Estate of Art Dealer Bernhard A. Böhmer.
Part 1: From Abbo to de Fiori
17th of May to 16th of June 2019
Location: the Hanseatic and University City Rostock Display Depot
In the world of classical modernity, and particularly for the artists of that time, the modern world was turning like a kaleidoscope: the vast and broken patterns of new artworks were being created at an ever-faster rate: faces both with and without names, ladies of the night and their admirers, gigolos and war cripples, circus acrobats and carnival barkers, the holy and the crooks, the bourgeois and the revolutionaries, lovers and the lonely hearts. For many, greater even than the yearning for a rural idyll was the longing for the promise of the big city.
With their graphics, avant-garde artists documented their surroundings by providing a representation of the flood of the overpowering impressions to which they were exposed in the 20th century. And in so doing, the artists and their experiments became the focus of attention. Loved by some but hated by others: the graphics gained a novel artistic meaning.
Over 580 graphics can be found in the estate of art dealer Bernhard A. Böhmer, and in this exhibition series, the artworks are presented to the public for the very first time. The 2nd exhibition casts light of the phenomena of graphics from classical modernism, with 257 artworks from 67 artists presented in four displays.
In 1958, the exhibition of “German graphics from the early XX century”, with many works of art from Böhmer’s estate was held – but then closed in a matter of days. It is a phenomenon: how a few strokes can convey such considerable meaning. Why? This is a question best answered by the exhibition – best experienced in images and sounds.
Curator: Susanne Knuth
