Archive

1905: Fritz Bleyl and the Beginning of the Brücke

24. Febuary to 
4. June 2023

Fritz Bleyl, Augustus Bridge in Dresden with Frauenkirche, 1905, coal and chalk, Brücke-Museum © Bleyl, Berlin/Solingen

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Fritz Bleyl, The Pelican, 1904, colour woodcut in black and yellow, Brücke-Museum © Bleyl, Berlin/Solingen

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Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Trees in Winter, 1905, print, Brücke-Museum © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020

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Watercolor, farmhouse between trees

Fritz Bleyl, Bauernhaus am Hang, 1907, Aquarell auf Papier, Brücke-Museum, © Bleyl, Berlin/Solingen

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Ink drawing, person sitting at a garden table between trees

Fritz Bleyl, Am Gartentisch, 1907, Tusche, Pinsel auf Papier, Brücke-Museum, © Bleyl, Berlin/Solingen

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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Reposing Girl with Headache, 1906, colour woodcut, Brücke-Museum

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On June 7, 1905, four young architecture students founded the artists’ group Brücke in Dresden. Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and - the less well-known today - Fritz Bleyl wanted nothing less than to rewrite art history.  Their drive for change contrasts with a time marked by the conservative attitude of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The first years of the Brücke are marked by the search for a new, artistic form of expression and their collective activities as a group. In addition to joint exhibitions, this included the creation of an extensive visual identity. They also actively recruited new members to expand their community of artists and art lovers.

 

The exhibition 1905: Fritz Bleyl and the Beginning of the Brücke looks at this historical moment from a contemporary perspective. It is the third and final part of a series of exhibitions that examines significant years of the artists’ group from a cultural and historical perspective. In what context were the artworks created, what moved the artists in their time, what surrounded them? 

 

Accompanying the exhibition is a newspaper produced in cooperation with the Kunstsammlungen Zwickau. There, from February 18 to May 29, 2023, a parallel exhibition focuses on the work of Fritz Bleyl.

 

Exhibition room with several works

Exhibition view, 1905: Fritz Bleyl and the Beginning of the Brücke, photo: Diana Pfammatter.

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Exhibition room with several works

Exhibition view, 1905: Fritz Bleyl and the Beginning of the Brücke, photo: Diana Pfammatter.

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Exhibition room with several works

Exhibition view, 1905: Fritz Bleyl and the Beginning of the Brücke, photo: Diana Pfammatter.

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Please note:

 

The exhibition will be closed from 1.–3. June 2023. On these days, the symposium Expressionism Revisited will take place at Brücke-Museum. The programme will be streamed live on our website so you can follow the event digitally.

 

The museum will reopen on Sunday, 4 June 2023. On this Museum Sunday, we will celebrate the last day of the exhibition 1905: Fritz Bleyl and the Beginning of the Brücke with a diverse programme. Admission is free of charge.

Programme

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Staff

Lisa Marei Schmidt, Curator

Philipp Lange, Assistant Curator, Exhibition

Magdalena Syen, Assistant Curator, Publication

Daniela Bystron, Curator of Outreach

Fee Wüstenberg, programm assistant