Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

The members’ exhibition of The “Scholle” Association of German Artists in Moravia and Silesia [Vereinigung deutscher bildender Künstler Mährens und Schlesiens „Scholle“] was the first presentation of the German-speaking art scene in Moravia and Silesia in Prague since the founding of Czechoslovakia. Organized under the auspices of Krasoumná jednota [Kustverein für Böhmen] in its space in Rudolfinum, the show presented a sequel of sorts to the group exhibition of German artists in Bohemia, the “Concordia” section [Ausstellung deutscher Künstler aus Böhmen, Sektion "Concordia"], which took place in Rudolfinum between January 14 and 31, 1926. Both shows featured the output of multi-regional, conservative, and stylistically somewhat disparate art associations, whose members identified as representatives of the German-speaking minority. Krasoumná jednota organized these exhibitions as part of its long-term strategy to provide a balanced representation of both Czech and German artists in Czechoslovakia, brought together by regional and state-wide groups and associations. 

However, Scholle’s first group exhibition can also be perceived as a sign of warming between the representatives of Czech and German-speaking associations, which went hand in hand with the gradual abandonment of the existing passive-resistance strategy on the part of German political parties in Czechoslovakia. Representatives of democratic German political parties joined the government in the fall of 1926 and took part in governing Czechoslovakia until 1938. This new trend found its best manifestation in the portrait of President Masaryk by the Brno painter Karl Truppe (cat. no. 134), installed in a prominent spot at the exhibition. Masaryk visited the show on Sunday afternoon, June 6, 1926, as briefly noted two days later in the Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia. [Anonymous author 1926] Newspaper reviews, too, reflected this relaxing of the traditional national animosities, skepticism, and rivalry, characteristic of the early postwar years – most of them (both German and Czech) were respectful and tolerant, even though their moderate tone may have also been due to the conventional character of most of the exhibited artworks ranging in style between lingering 19th-century tendencies, Art Nouveau and Postimpressionism to descriptive realism. 

The concept of the exhibition was likely a collective work. The catalogue lists Scholle’s leaders, committee representatives, and regular members – Eduard Csánk, Bruno Beran, Vincenc Baier, Gustav Böhm, Rudolf Leger, Viktor Oppenheimer, Karl Truppe – all of whom likely collaborated in conceiving the show. Around 30 artists participated (there was only one woman, the Munich-based painter Lili Gödl-Brandhuber). The catalogue lists 28 names in alphabetical order and three guests. A total of 152 works appear in the catalogue, including at least 45 oil paintings, nine woodcuts, as well as drawings, watercolours, lithographs, engravings, small sculptures, and medals; some of the items in the catalogue lack technique specification. The artworks were for sale. The most expensive items included the works of the Vienna-based artists of the older generation, Hugo Hodiener and Ludwig Wieden, with prices ranging from 10 to 24 thousand crowns. Canvases by the Brno painters Gustav Böhm, Julius Schustala, Karel Truppe, and the Jihlava-based painter Hans Canon were priced at 5 to 10 thousand crowns. 

Eight reviews of the exhibition have been found to date, including brief commentaries in the press. The most extensive text, penned by Oskar Schürer, was published in a Brno daily called Tagesbote. [Schürer 1926] All the reviews suggest that the exhibited artworks were conservative and uncontroversial in content and form: “A spirit of bourgeois quiet, pleasant serenity prevails here, maintaining its composure and careful not to disturb its audience with untested novelties.” [Nikodém 1926] Landscapes (both urban and natural) predominated in the exhibition, although portraits played a more prominent role, with Truppe’s likeness of Masaryk placed in the centre. Most of the artworks and artifacts were medium-sized or small, with the smaller rooms of the Rudolfinum densely filled with works of various techniques. In his review for Lidové noviny, Josef Čapek aptly compared Scholle’s output to that of Jednota výtvarných umělců (Union of Fine Arts), opining that the Scholle “presented itself agreeably, with a set of carefully selected works" [Schürer 1926, p. 3]. He also mentioned the influence of Munich, Vienna, and Paris because, in addition to Moravia and Silesia-based artists, the show also represented German-speaking artists who lived in various European cities but still sent their works to Scholle’s exhibitions and considered themselves part of the local art world. These artists included Adolf Hölzel, Viktor Böhm, Ivo Saliger, and Ferdinand Staeger.

The Scholle exhibition in Prague sought to present a selection of the best art that the nationalist German-speaking world in Moravia and Silesia had to offer at that moment. That is why the authors of the conception did not hesitate to include the works by the representative of Scholle’s “founding generation” [ibid.], Carl Maria Thuma, who died at the end of 1925. For the history of art in the Czech lands, the exhibition is a testament to a regional artistic output that has yet to be fully researched. The show took place shortly before the fresh graduates of the Prague Academy began to establish themselves in the Scholle, exposing its conservative milieu to impulses from Berlin and Paris, particularly the new objectivity trends and various versions of realist approaches. 

Ivo Habán

Works Cited

Anonymous author 1926: Anonymous author, President Masaryk, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 135, 8. 6., p. 6

Nikodém 1926: N. [Viktor Nikodém], Z pražských výstav, Národní osvobození III, 1926, no. 159, 11. 6., p. 4

Schürer 1926: Oskar Schürer, Deutsch-mährische Künstler in Prag, Tagesbote LXXVI, 1926, no. 261, 6. 6., pp. 3–4

Further Reading

Ivo Habán, Na dohled Vídně, ve stínu Prahy? Mährischer Kunstverein a Vereinigung deutscher bildender Künstler Mährens und Schlesiens „Scholle“, in: Anna Habánová (ed.), Mladí lvi v kleci. Umělecké skupiny německy hovořících výtvarníků z Čech, Moravy a Slezska v meziválečném období, Liberec – Řevnice 2013, pp. 60–79

Ivo Habán, Brněnský dům umělců jako výstavní centrum německy hovořících umělců z Moravy, Slezska a Čech, in: Lubomír Slavíček, Janá Vránová (eds.), 100 let Domu umění města Brna (exh. cat.), Brno 2010, pp. 71–96

Anonymous author, Bühne und Kunst, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 127, 29. 5., s. 6

Anonymous author, Die Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX , 1926, no. 129, 1. 6., p. 6

Anonymous author, Die Ausstellung der Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 131, 3. 6., p. 7

Anonymous author, Ausstellung der „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 133, 5. 6., p. 7

Anonymous author, President Masaryk, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 135, 8. 6., p. 6

Anonymous author, Die Ausstellung der Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 137, 10. 6., p. 7

Anonymous author, Ausstellung der Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 141, 15. 6., p. 6

Anonymous author, Ausstellung der Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 143, 17. 6., p. 6

Anonymous author, Ausstellung der Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“ und Sonderausstellung Cilette Paris, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 145, 19. 6., p. 7

Anonymous author, Die Ausstellung der Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 147, 22. 6., p. 6

Anonymous author, Die Ausstellung der Vereinigung deutsch-mährischer Künstler „Scholle“, Deutsche Zeitung Bohemia XCIX, 1926, no. 149, 24. 6., p. 5