Sonderbund westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler

The "Sonderbund" — as it is normally called; its complete name being Sonderbund westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler (the "Separate League of West German Art Lovers and Artists"), and also known as Sonderbund group — was a "special union" of artists and art lovers, established 1909 in Düsseldorf and dissolved in 1916. In its first years, the Sonderbund mounted some landmark exhibitions, successfully introducing French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Modern Art to the western parts of Germany.

History

The international movement of Secessionism, which since 1890 began to cover the European art scene, entered Düsseldorf, its renowned art school and artist societies at a very late date. In 1908, a group of younger artists first organized a "special exhibition" ("Sonderausstellung"), the year following they reunited in a "Sonderbund" exhibition works of their own with French contemporary art lent by local collectors and the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune of Paris. Encouraged by museum professionals, in August 1909 the Sonderbund was officially established.

The lasting fame of the "Sonderbund" is founded on its three "International Art Exhibitions", 1910 and 1911 in Düsseldorf, and, especially, the 1912 Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne,[1][2] which supplied a breathtaking review of early modern art with numerous iconic works from artists including Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and the neo-impressionists Henri-Edmond Cross and Paul Signac. There was a special focus on Edvard Munch.[3]

The Board of Directors of the Sonderbund included many luminaries from the world of modern art,[4] such as Josef Feinhals, Herbert Eulenberg, Alfred Flechtheim, Karl Ernst Osthaus, Richard Reich, Max Creutz, Max Clarenbach, and Walter Cohen.

Legacy and impact

The organizers of the 1913 Armory Show were highly impressed by the exhibition in Cologne, and thus first rate European art soon made its way to the United States.

The 1912 Sonderbund is considered a precursor to the Documenta exhibitions.[5]

In 2012, the Sonderbund of 1912 was reconstructed in an exhibition "1912 - Mission Moderne" at Wallraf Richartz Museum in Cologne. (31 August to 30 December)[6][7][8][2]

See also

References
  1. The precise dates of these exhibitions are: Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, 15 July - 9 October 1910; Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, 20 May - 2 July 1911; Köln, Ausstellungshalle der Stadt Cöln am Aachener Tor, 25 May - 30 September 1912
  2. "1912 show that shook art world returns to Cologne". Deutsche Welle. 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2022-01-23. Vincent van Gogh, who had over 100 works in the exhibition, served as the fulcrum, along with French artists Paul Cézanne, Maurice Denis and Paul Signac. In addition, then relatively unknown artists like Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky popped up. There were also Austrians (Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschaka), Scandinavians (Edvard Munch), Swiss (Giovanni Giacometti, Ferdinand Hodler) and Dutch (Kees van Dongen, Piet Mondrian). Germany was represented by two important art collectives, The Blue Riders and The Bridge.
  3. "Revolutionary art show – DW – 09/20/2012". dw.com. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  4. Sonderbund Westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler (1912). Internationale Kunstausstellung des Sonderbundes Westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler zu Cöln, 1912. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Library. Cöln a. Rhein : M. Dumont Schauberg.
  5. "Revolutionary art show – DW – 09/20/2012". dw.com. Retrieved 2022-12-11. Today, the Sonderbund exhibition is considered a precursor to dOCUMENTA. And not only that - many art historians regard the Cologne show as the first example of a truly modern exhibition and the beginning of a new era in art shows.
  6. "Important Exhibition in Cologne with Picasso, van Gogh, Munch - artsation.com". artsation.com. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  7. "1912 – Mission Moderne, Cologne". The Guardian. 2012-10-02. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  8. "De cette exposition naquit, en 1912, l'art moderne". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  9. Selz, Peter (1957). German Expressionist Painting. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 246. LCCN 57-10501.
  10. "Egon Schiele Autograph Database". www.schiele-dokumentation.at. Retrieved 2020-08-22.

Literature
  • Magdalena M. Moeller: Der Sonderbund. In: Düsseldorf. Eine Großstadt auf dem Weg in die Moderne. Der westdeutsche Impuls 1900–1914, Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf 1984, p. 126-142


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