Hamburg Secessionists

With our new exhibition, we draw attention to the Hamburg Secession, the only artists' group of classical modernism in the city on the Elbe. Founded in 1919, it saw itself as a platform for like-minded people and united artists from the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture and literature. It produced strong artistic personalities who enriched the cultural life of the Hanseatic city with their diverse independent contributions. The Secessionists consistently oriented themselves towards the avant-garde and maintained contacts with the German capital, France and the USA to this end. Until its forced dissolution in 1933, the artists' community organised twelve annual exhibitions in a cosmopolitan, experimental and forward-looking atmosphere. After its re-establishment in June 1945, the Hamburg Secession continued to exist until 1952.
 
Its 33 founding members included the artist couple Emil Maetzel and Dorothea Maetzel-Johannsen, Gretchen Wohlwill, Alma del Banco and Otto Fischer-Trachau. Paintings and works on paper by these artists as well as the renowned Secessionists Ivo Hauptmann and Eduard Bargheer are presented in our presentation. In addition to works from the Secession period, paintings from the years before 1919 and after 1952 will also be on display.
 
Opening: Thursday, 2 June 2022, from 6 pm.
Speech: Dr. Karin Schick, Head of the Collection of Classical Modern Art at the Hamburger Kunsthalle
 
We look forward to your visit.