Bremerhaven sammelt
03.07. – 21.08.2011

On the occasion of our anniversary this year, we were concerned with the question of whether the 125-year promotion of fine art in Bremerhaven by the Kunstverein had also initiated a culture of art collecting. 125 years of the Kunstverein meant that many thousands of residents were and are committed to promoting art through their membership. 125 years also saw around 1,000 exhibitions by regionally, nationally and internationally renowned artists with countless visitors.
We know from some collections that forward-looking exhibitions in the 1960s and 1970s with Hamish Fulton, Blinky Palermo, Gerhard Richter, Günther Uecker and others left their mark on private property in Bremerhaven. In addition to the big names from the early years, artists such as Peter Böhnisch, Manfred Holtfrerich and Norbert Schwontkowski also changed the collections. The more than 40-year exhibition history of the “Cabinet for Contemporary Art”, which was recently honored with a series of exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt, certainly had a particular influence. However, as the preparations for the exhibition showed us, much has remained hidden. In addition to the modern and contemporary art, which was promoted here in particular by the art association, there are works in Bremerhaven’s private collections that have a strong local connection. Otto Modersohn and Heinrich Vogeler are represented, as are Ernst Barlach and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Around 100 private collectors from Bremerhaven responded to the announcement of the exhibition project and offered a total of over 400 works of art on loan. From July 3rd, we will be presenting some of these works in the Kunsthalle with the exhibition “BREMERHAVEN COLLECTS”. The aim is to provide an insight into the entire spectrum of local collecting activities.

Curated by Dr. Kai Kähler.