Event Item: 00133

'The trial of strength': 200 years Haus der Kunst

Exhibition: 30th May 2008 to 31st Aug 2008

Source: http://www.hausderkunst.de

This year the Munich Art Academy of Fine Arts is celebrating its 200th anniversary - on this occasion the Haus der Kunst has brought together exemplary works by its professors and students in a large exhibition.

The eventful and varied history of the Munich academy is presented through a carefully considered selection of ca. 100 works in the 'trial of strength'. Amongst its students and graduates are distinguished artists such as Franz von Stuck, Franz Marc, Paul Klee or Wassily Kandinsky.

The first part of the show is dedicated to the founding of the academy during a time of great change, when outstanding teachers such as Peter von Cornelius or Karl Theodor von Piloty brought international respectability to the Munich academy; at times the academy attracted as many artists as those in Paris, Vienna or Düsseldorf. One focal point in the exhibition is history painting for which the Munich art academy was renown until the end of the 19th century. History painting was never a purely artistic matter, but provided the possibility to express patriotism, which was growing throughout europe. this was particularly the case with middle and eastern european countries that had been divided into different multi-ethnic states and that now were beginning to reference their own history and culture in an effort to establish their longed for independence of state.

The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to the Munich art academy's development from the turn of the century to today. After history painting's loss of importance, the academy tried to connect to an advanced modernity - with success: at the turn of the 20th century it once again became an international centre attracting students such as Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee or Franz Marc. However, the academy refused to integrate modernity on a sustained basis; at first a gradual loss of importance occurred and shortly thereafter its dubious ascent to the perfect nazi academy began. It is only after 1945 that abstraction arrived at the academy, which once again had international ambitions, but comparatively late. Around 1968 it was the stronghold of students' protests in Munich; on the occasion of this exhibition, today's academy students have produced an installation of images and film enquiring about what remained of this upheaval.

The exhibition is curated by León Krempel, Haus der Kunst, in cooperation with the Munich research group 'forschergruppe zur geschichte der künstlerausbildung' research on art education directed by Walter Grasskamp, Munich.

Haus der Kunst, Prinzregentenstrasse 1, 80538 Munich