HAMBURG.- To mark the 100th anniversary of the friends’ society Freunde der Kunsthalle e.V., the Hamburger Kunsthalle pays tribute in 2023 to its major supporter with an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and works on paper from its Modern Art collection dating from the years around 1923. Around 60 exhibits have been selected that provide insights into artistic practice, social currents and historical events in Germany and Hamburg that year. The featured works, by artists including Alma del Banco, Rudolf Belling, Robert Desnos, Walter Dexel, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Karl Hofer, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Käthe Kollwitz, Karl Kluth, Rudolf Levy, Dorothea Maetzel-Johannsen, László Moholy-Nagy, Anita Rée and Friedrich Wield, have been loosely inserted into the permanent collection display devoted to Classical Modernism. They shed light on a dazzling period in history, giving viewers a vivid impression of the artistic fecundity of what is often called the »crisis year« of 1923.

1923 is today considered to have been a fateful year. Severe crises were unsettling the young Weimar Republic as the occupation of the Ruhr region, hyperinflation, rampant poverty and coup attempts put German democracy to the test. At the same time, though, the twenties witnessed a thriving art and culture scene as well as great enthusiasm for popular sports. Theatre, cabaret, dance events and concerts flourished, as did the cinema and literature. The culture of the day was political, avant-garde and marked by an impressive degree of diversity, with Impressionism, Expressionism, New Objectivity, Surrealism and applied arts at the state-run Bauhaus happily existing side-by-side.

A publication in the Kleine Reihe series accompanies the exhibition, featuring texts by Juliane Au, Gabriele Himmelmann, Florian Ludwig, Karin Schick, Jan Steinke and Andreas Stolzenburg (scheduled for June 2023, approx. 150 pages). The catalogue is available in the museum shop for 14.90 euros or can be ordered online at www.freunde-der-kunsthalle.de.

Events are planned during the exhibition as part of the series »Hörwerk – Kunst-werk« (Audio Work – Artwork), which is dedicated to the close ties between music and art and has been ongoing since 2012 in cooperation with the Franz Wirth Memorial Foundation. Five musicians – fellows and alumni of the foundation – will engage with works in the exhibition 1923: The Faces of an Era in a varied programme. (Dates: 24 August | 14 September 2023 | 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. | Attendance included with museum admission, no extra ticket required).

Individual works from the exhibition are also being presented in the Hamburger Kunsthalle app as part of an audio tour for adults in German and English (as free download or on a loan device for 4 euros).

Curators: Juliane Au, Dr. Karin Schick and Dr. Andreas