25 November 2017 – 18 March 2018

In the laboratory of modernity. Hölzel and his circle

An exhibition by the Museum für Neue Kunst in the Augustinermuseum

In September 1916, in the midst of the First World War, a remarkable exhibition in Freiburg was writing modern art history. Adolf Hölzel (1853 – 1934), one of the pioneers of modern art in Germany, and his students were exhibiting their work in the newly built Freiburg art association, the Freiburger Kunstverein. This was the first time that the so-called ‘Hölzel circle’ had displayed their artwork in public.

This historical appearance of the avant-garde in Freiburg is the inspiration for the new exhibition In the laboratory of modernity. Hölzel and his circle. It focuses on the impact, charisma and art-historical significance of the group formed around the adventurous painter, art theorist and pedagogue, Adolf Hölzel. Extraordinarily modern artworks emerged from the Hölzel circle, as well as approaches which later played a decisive role in shaping the foundation of Bauhaus. On the trail of Hölzel and his circle, the exhibition offers exciting ways to experience their approach to colour, construction and abstraction.

Works by students at the HGK FHNW Art Institute in Basle will also be on display. Through their contributions, they keep the eagerness to experiment and the concept of collaborative creation alive today.

Conceived by the Museum für Neue Kunst, the exhibition is presented in the exhibition hall and on the top floor of the Augustinermuseum.

Willi Baumeister | Hans Brühlmann | Luise Deicher | Heinrich Eberhard | Josef Eberz | Maria Foell | Ernst H. Graeser | Lily Hildebrandt | Adolf Hölzel | Johannes Itten | Ida Kerkovius | Otto Meyer-Amden | Albert Mueller | Alfred Heinrich Pellegrini | Oskar Schlemmer | August Ludwig Schmitt | Hermann Stemmler | Hermann Stenner | William Straube

Adolf Hölzel, Skizze Farbkreis, um 1915, Adolf Hölzel-Stiftung Stuttgart
Maria Foell, Paar mit weißen Lilien, Bund Bildender Künstlerinnen Württembergs e.V. Foto: Yvonne Rudsch
Alfred Heinrich Pellegrini, Komposition mit Badenden, 1912, Öl auf Leinwand, Sammlung Dr. h.c. Daniel Blaise Thorens und lic. phil. Riitta Thorens, Schweiz
Adolf Hölzel, Komposition (Legende der Heiligen Ursula), Öl auf Pappe, 1914, Landratsamt/Kreisarchiv Zollernalbkreis, Balingen, Foto: Sammlung Bunte
August Ludwig Schmitt, Liegender Akt, um 1912, Tempera auf Papier, Galerie der Stadt Sindelfingen - Sammlung Lütze, Foto: Tarek Musleh
Johannes Itten, Der Bach-Sänger (Helge Lindberg), 1916, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017
Adolf Hölzel, Fenster III Feld 1b, Bahlsen GmbH Co KG, Foto: Birgit Streicher
Lily Hildebrandt, Frauenkopf, 1912/13, Öl auf Karton, Sammlung Bunte / © Alexandra Hildebrandt, Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin
Hermann Stenner, Grüne Frau mit gelbem Hut I, 1913, Öl auf Pappe auf Spanplatte, Sammlung Bunte
Albert Mueller, Abstrakte Komposition, 1916, Collage auf Zeitungspapier, Galerie Schlichtenmaier, Stuttgart/Grafenau
Luise Deicher, Badende, Privatbesitz, Foto: Heinz Pelz
Oskar Schlemmer, Mädchenkopf mit Silber, 1913, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart