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"August Macke – a Private View" places artist August Macke (1887 – 1914) and his facet-rich personality at the center of attention and highlights the importance of family and friends for his art. On the basis of private treasures that are still in family ownership and are being shown to the public for the first time, the Exhibition takes a close-up look at Macke's spirited and simultaneously pensive character.
The Show has been conceived as a travelogue through the life of August Macke, in which his impressive works are accompanied by photographs and quotes by and about the artist. Starting with the artistic beginnings of the just 16 year old in Bonn, the Exhibition walks us through his biography and artistic evolution, highlighting his search and ongoing experimentation with new forms and colors on the way to a new artistic vernacular.
Macke broke with middle-class conventions at an early point in his life. Disillusioned by the conservative artistic philosophy of his professors, he left the Düsseldorf art academy, remarking that "those who have the means and love their freedom, escape." From then on art itself was his instructor; above all, modern French art became his most important source of inspiration in the following years. The well read and open-minded young man embarked on a search for an artistic expression that would adequately correspond with the revolutionary innovations then occurring in all areas of intellectual thought and scientific pursuit. He played an active role in the major reform movements, among others, in the Deutscher Werkbund.
With little known craftworks, including ceramics designs, dishes, and textiles, the Exhibition demonstrates August Macke's understanding of the unity and equality of art and the crafts. Parallel sub-topics shed light on other facets of the artist's personality: caricatures, abstracts, and nudes provide insights into categories of his work, reveal his humorous approach to daily life, illuminate his experimentation with the classical nude, and document his penetrating experimentation with colors and forms to the point of pure abstraction.
The Exhibition vividly presents the artistic activity and daily realities surrounding the life of artist August Macke who died in 1914 in the first World War at the young age of 27.
The exhibition catalogue, published by Wienand Verlag, reflects the chronological route through the exhibited works and the life of the artist. Texts by grandchildren of August Macke and essays by art historians round out our show of "August Macke – a Private View."
Curator: Dr. Ina Ewers-Schultz
Exhibition Catalog: 144 pages, more than 200 illustrations during the Exhibition 19.80 Euro (29.80 Euro in book stores)
Supporting Program
Lecture in the Studio
on Sunday, 25 October 2010 at 6:00 pm
August Macke, His Promoters and Patrons
Dr. Klara Drenker-Nagels, Director of the August Macke Haus Bonn
Admission 6 Euro, incl. visit to Exhibition – telephone reservations required
Readings in the Studio
on Saturday, 6 November 2010 at 7:00 pm
August and Elisabeth Macke – Letters and Memoirs
Timo Berndt and Birte Schrein, actors
Admission 12 Euro, reduced price of 10 Euro, incl. visit to Exhibition and a glass of wine - telephone reservations required
Readings in the Studio
on Sunday, 14 November 2010 at 6 pm
Novelist Joachim Geil reads from his book
Home Leave
Admission 6 Euro, incl. visit to Exhibition – telephone reservations required
Readings in the Studio
on Sunday, 28 November 2010 at 6 pm
Hans Thuar: Remembering August Macke
Anja Martin reads from memoirs by the artist
Admission 6 Euro, incl. visit to Exhibition – telephone reservations required
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| and press text for the current exhibition – reproduction only with express permission of the August Macke Haus. |
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