Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

After a two-year break, the Deutschböhmischer Künstlerbund (Association of German-Czech Artists) presented a selection of artworks by members and invited guests. The exhibition, held in January and February in Prague’s Rudolfinum, was organized by the Künstlerbund’s chairman, Karl Krattner [Anonymous author 1914a]. On the same date, its rival organization, Verein deutscher bildender Künstler in Böhmen (Union of German Artists in Bohemia), held its own exhibition in Dresden’s Brühlische Terrasse. The Verein was invited to Dresden by the Sächsischer Kunstverein (Saxon Arts Association) [Habánová 2016]. A reviewer for Prager Tagblatt clearly defined the character of both these German-speaking artists’ association and their exhibitions: the Dresden exhibition showcased youth – artists influenced by Paris and Munich elite modernism. At the Prague show, the exhibiting artists were “old, to put it simply, although there were also thirty-somethings among them. ... Because the Künstlerbund is more conservative, it has lost touch with the latest developments in painting. ... Yet, it has four artists at its centre who, despite their differences, elevate this exhibition to an extraordinary level, arousing the interest of the entire Prague art world. They are Emil Orlik, Willy Nowak, Gustav Klimt and Max Oppenheimer” [Anonymous author 1914a]. Willi Nowak presented nine of his works, and Gustav Klimt, as a guest, exhibited ten oil paintings and eight drawings. Klimt’s works included the Virgin, which the German Section of the Modern Gallery purchased in March 1914 (now in the collection of the National Gallery Prague). Along with the painting Death and Love (Death and Life, now in the Leopold Museum in Vienna), Virgin was one of the most expensive items at the exhibition (both were on sale for 26,000 CZK). The Modern Gallery also purchased Chinese Woman, which was chosen from his 22 artworks, largely featuring oriental themes. Max Oppenheimer was represented by 22 etchings, 8 drawings and 15 oil paintings, of which Operation was purchased for the Modern Gallery. Sold for 6,400 Marks, this was the most expensive work at the exhibition.

In addition to these artists, whose works were highlighted in the catalogue, the selection also included August Brömse and Emanuel Hegenbarth, as well August Roth whose 33 monotypes from the exhibition are now lost. The abstraction-leaning work of the only woman at the exhibition – Katharina Schäffner – was largely misunderstood, as evident from the review in Prager Abendblatt: “Due to her strange, tense style, Katharina Schäffner has secured a special place for herself. It is not clear to everyone what she wants to say with her fantastic drawings full of circles and loops. … [Her] applied arts objects, too, … are far from commonplace.” [–o– 1914]  

Although we cannot identify most of the works showcased at the exhibition, it is clear that, thanks to the presence of the above-mentioned artists, this was one of the best exhibitions in Prague’s German-Czech milieu at the time, but probably also outside it. Yet, toward the end the organizers voiced their frustration about the low attendance, suggesting that the local art scene was to blame. There was no strong leader working in and shaping the local artistic milieu, and the exhibitions were typically quite conservative, turning off potential audiences. [Anonymous author 1914b]

This show became the Künstlerbund’s last. Soon after, the association completely disappeared from public life. It failed to organize the autumn exhibition in the Rudolfinum, postponed from the spring date because of the show in Dresden. Beginning in 1914, the Künstlerbund was no longer active, although the exhibition activities did not completely stop. Many of the members of both Künstlerbund and Verein were conscripted and deployed on all fronts. The Verein’s annual meeting on May 25, 1918 confirmed Franz Thiele and Alois Rieber in leadership roles. On the eve of the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the last exhibition under the banner of the Verein was opened in the Rudolfinum, despite considerable technical and organizational difficulties. In 1920, the Verein was transformed into the Metznerbund.

Anna Habánová

Works Cited

Anonymous author 1914a: anonymous author, Die Ausstellung des deutschböhmischen Künstlerbundes, Prager Tagblatt XXXIX, 1914, no. 17, 18. 1., p. 6

Anonymous author 1914b anonymous author, Die Ausstellung des deutschböhmischen Künstlerbundes, Prager Tagblatt XXXIX, 1914, no. 47, 16. 2., p. 6

–o– 1914: –o–, Ausstellung des deutschböhmischen Künsterbundes im Rudolfinum. II., Prager Abendblatt IIL, 1914, no. 29, 6. 2., p. 4

Habánová 2016: Anna Habánová, Dějiny uměleckého spolku Metznerbund 1920–1945, Liberec 2016, pp. 120–122

Archival Sources

City of Prague Archives, fonds MHMP II, Národní výbor hlavního města Prahy, odbor vnitřních věcí, spolkový katastr [National Committee of the City of Prague, Department of Internal Affairs], sign. SK/IX/79

City of Prague Archives, fonds MHMP II, Národní výbor hlavního města Prahy, odbor vnitřních věcí, spolkový katastr [National Committee of the City of Prague, Department of Internal Affairs], sign. SK/IX/212