Media Release Aarau, July 2016 Karl Ballmer Head and Heart 28 August 13 November 2016 Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau In the 1930s, the Aarau painter and writer Karl Ballmer (1891 1958) was among the leading avant-garde artists of the Hamburg Secession. A successful artist, he was defamed by the National Socialists as a "degenerate" artist in 1937 and thus forced to return to Switzerland. Today, a quarter century after his last retrospective, the Aargauer Kunsthaus is remembering the artist by devoting a comprehensive exhibition to his both analytical and sensitive oeuvre. Born in Aarau, Karl Ballmer is firmly anchored in the history of the Aargauer Kunsthaus: in 1960, two years after Ballmer s death, Guido Fischer, the first curator of the Aargauer Kunsthaus, presented the work of the artist to the public in a comprehensive retrospective. Thirty years later, the museum s then director, Beat Wismer, provided a more in-depth understanding of Ballmer s oeuvre in the monographic exhibition Karl Ballmer. Der Maler. The Karl Ballmer Foundation, which was founded at the time, administered Ballmer s artistic estate and placed the almost 200 paintings and works on paper with the collection of the Aargauer Kunsthaus as a permanent loan a body of work on which the Kunsthaus draws to this day for collection presentations and group exhibitions such Docking Station (2014) and Auf der Grenze (2015). Twenty-six years after the last retrospective, the Aargauer Kunsthaus now presents an exhibition titled Karl Ballmer. Head and Heart, which brings the artist back into our visual memory and introduces him to a new generation of museum goers. In March 2017, the exhibition will travel in a more streamlined form to the Ernst Barlach Haus in Hamburg, thereby
resituating the artist in his adopted home town and one-time main place of activity. Karl Ballmer was born in Aarau, Switzerland, in 1891. After training as a draughtsman, he worked for several years as a graphic artist. At the same time he also devoted himself to philosophy and to writing. After meeting Rudolf Steiner 1918, he reflected critically on the approaches of anthroposophy in lectures and writings. The most formative period for his work was his time in Hamburg from 1922 until 1938. As a member of the Hamburg Secession, Ballmer was among the city s leading avant-garde artists. In sensitive portraits as well as in complex landscape and figure paintings he pursued a type of painting in which the essence hidden behind outward appearances is expressed. A successful artist, he was defamed as a "degenerate" artist by the Nazis in 1937 and consequently forced to return to Switzerland. In Ticino, his final place of exile and creative production, he developed his late work as an author and painter. The exhibition Karl Ballmer. Head and Heart examines the artist s various creative stages whilst taking art historical analyses and most recent research findings into account. More than one hundred paintings and works on paper from the collection enter into a dialogue with forty top-class loans from private collections as well as from German and Swiss museums: Nordic cityscapes and landscapes meet paintings and drawings of figures; pastel-coloured paintings are superseded by the dark-hued late work. The "head" is a subject that is explored in many variations in prints, pencil drawings and oil paintings. Original documents from the Aargau state archive, which administers the writings from Ballmer s estate, provide deeper insights into the artistic and art-political environment surrounding Karl Ballmer. An accompanying publication of the same title provides the theoretical foundation for the exhibition. Accompanied by rich illustrations, essays by experts bring out central themes: based on historical sources, the painter is described and situated within his professional and social milieu. The focus is on Ballmer s connections to the artists of the Hamburg Secession, the writer Samuel Beckett (1906 1989) and the philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861 1925) as well as to Max Sauerland (1880-1934), the then director of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg who was his most important patron. Particular attention is paid to Ballmer s critical study of anthroposophy, while new scholarly insights shine a light on the controversial relationship the artist maintained before and after the war with the art collector Hildebrand Gurlitt (1895-1956).
Karl Ballmer (b. 1891, Aarau, Canton of Aargau - 1958, Limone, Canton of Ticino) After training as a draughtsman, he attended the Basel School of Applied Arts (1909) and the art academy in Munich (1910 1911). Interrupted by stints in the military, he worked as an independent graphic artist in Bern and Zürich until 1913. In 1918, he met Rudolf Steiner who had a formative influence on him particularly in his writings. From 1922 until 1938 he lived in Hamburg where he joined the Hamburg Secession in 1932. In 1938 he moved with his wife, Katharina van Cleef (d. 1970) to Basel and subsequently to the Canton of Ticino. There he lived in intellectual and artistic seclusion. On 7 September 1958 he died in a clinic in Lugano. Selected Solo Exhibitions: Karl Ballmer (1891-1958). Der Maler, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (1990)/ Niebüll, Richard-Haizmann-Museum (1990)/ Warth, Kunstmuseum Kartause Ittingen (1991); Karl Ballmer. Oelbilder, Zeichnungen, Gouachen, Collagen und Monotypien, Helmhaus, Zürich (1977); Bilder und Gouachen. Karl Ballmer (1891 1958), Galerie Palette, Zürich (1968); Karl Ballmer (1891-1958). Erwin Rehmann, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (1960); solo exhibition at Galerie d'art moderne, Basel (1964); solo exhibition at Gurlitt, Hamburg (1935) Selected Group Exhibitions: Auf der Grenze, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (2015); Docking Station. Zeitgenössische Künstler/innen arbeiten mit Werken aus dem Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (2014); Stille Reserven. Schweizer Malerei 1850-1950, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (2013); Schweizer Meister. Swiss Masters, Kunstmuseum Luzern (2008); Geflohen aus Deutschland. Hamburger Künstler im Exil 1933 1945, Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, Hamburg (2007); Eine Revolution des Formgefühls. Karl Ballmer Richard Haizmann Rolf Nesch in Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle/Galerie 1 der Hamburger Sparkasse, Hamburg (2005); Die Sammlung Hermann-Josef. Bunte. Deutsche Malerei des 20. Jahrhunderts, Hamburger Kunsthalle/Galerien der Haspa Hamburg/ Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven (1999/2000); Outside. Streiflichter auf die moderne Schweizer Kunst, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (1981); Outside, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (1976); Karl Ballmer - Richard Haizmann, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg (1957); 12. Ausstellung der Hamburgischen Sezession (closed by the National-Socialists), Jüngerer Hamburger Kunst, Kunstverein Köln, Cologne (1932) Curator Thomas Schmutz, Deputy Director / Curator Curatorial Assistant Julia Schallberger, Assistant Curator
Publication Karl Ballmer. Kopf und Herz, edited by Thomas Schmutz and the Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau / Karsten Müller and the Ernst Barlach Haus, Hamburg. Exh. cat. Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau and Ernst Barlach Haus, Hamburg. Published by Scheidegger & Spiess AG Zürich, 2016. The richly illustrated, German-language catalogue published in conjunction with the exhibition includes essays by Carolin Lange, Thomas Hunkeler, Rüdiger Joppien, Ulrich Kaiser, Peter Suter, Thomas Schmutz and Friederike Weimar as well as an introduction by Madeleine Schuppli and Karsten Müller. Anne Hoffmann Graphic Design, Zürich, is responsible for the graphic design of the 200-page volume. Preview for the Media Wednesday, 24 August, at 10.30 am Introduction and tour of the exhibition with Thomas Schmutz, Dep. Director and Curator. Followed by a reception in the foyer Exhibition Opening Saturday, 27 August 2016 6 pm 6.15 pm Speakers: Madeleine Schuppli, Director; Thomas Schmutz, Dep. Director and Curator; Roberto Belci, member of the executive board of NEUE AARGAUER BANK AG. Followed by a reception in the foyer Starting at 7.30 pm Food is served in the tent on the Kunsthaus roof 5 6 pm Preview for members of the Aargau Art Association Children s Opening Saturday, 27 August 6-8 pm Meet at the downstairs studio at 6 pm (ages 5 13) Tour of the Exhibition and Discussion on the Subject of "Head & Heart" in the Life and Work of Karl Ballmer Thursday, 8 September 6.30 pm With Thomas Schmutz, Dep. Director and Curator, Ulrich Kaiser, research author and teacher at the Rudolf-Steiner-Schule, Hamburg, and Carolin Lange, provenance researcher, State Office for Non-State Museums in Bavaria. Followed by a reception Admission + CHF 15.- Rendez-vous Saturday, 10 September 11 am 12.30 pm Dialogue-based guided tour with Ulrich Kaiser, research writer and teacher at the Rudolf-Steiner-Schule in Hamburg, and Christin Bugarski, Head of Art Education Admission + CHF 10. Rendez-vous Sunday, 6 November 3 4.30 pm Dialogue-based guided tour with Prof. Dr. Thomas Hunkeler, Beckett expert and Professor of French Literature at the University of Fribourg, and Christin Bugarski, Head of Art Education Admission + CHF 10.
Guided Tours Thursday 6.30 pm 1 Sep. with Astrid Näff, 13 Oct. with Astrid Näff, 27 Oct. with Astrid Näff, 10 Nov. with Brigitte Haas Sunday 11 am 28 Aug. with Brigitte Haas, 11 Sep. with Brigitte Haas, 18 Sep. with Silja Burch, 2 Oct. with Silja Burch, 9 Oct. with Robin Byland, 16 Oct. with Silja Burch, 23 Oct. with Brigitte Haas, 30 Oct. with Silja Burch, 13 Nov. with Astrid Näff Art Education Introduction for Instructors Wednesday, 31 August 2.30 4.30 pm Children and Families Open Studio Sunday, 28 August / 30 October 11 am 4 pm The studio is open to young and old creative minds Art Hunt Saturday 27 Aug. / 3 Sep. / 10 Sep. / 17 Sep. and 24 Sep. 10 am 12.30 pm (ages 9 13) 1.30 3.30 pm (ages 5 8) Children are introduced to art Family Sunday Sunday, 11 September / 9 October 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm Interactive guided tour and workshop. For families with children ages 5 and up For additional events for schools, families, children, and adolescents, as well as barrier-free events please refer to the separate flyer Dates for Art Workshops (school classes) and Art Meets (adults) upon request: tel. +41 (0)62 835 23 31, email kunstvermittlung@ag.ch
Images for the Media Images are available for downloading on our website www.aargauerkunsthaus.ch> Media. Please consider the copyright. Opening Hours Tue Sun: 10 am 5 pm; Thu: 10 am 8 pm For additional information please contact Thomas Schmutz, Curator / Dep. Director Tel. +41 (0)62 835 23 22, email: thomas.schmutz@ag.ch Julia Schallberger, Assistant Curator, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Tel. +41 (0)62 835 49 70, email julia.schallberger@ag.ch Filomena Colecchia, Communication/Media, Aargauer Kunsthaus Tel. +41 (0)62 835 23 34, email filomena.colecchia@ag.ch Become a fan of the Aargauer Kunsthaus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.