What s new at BRIDFAS December 2016 From the Chair DEAR MEMBERS This is the first and only Newsletter achieved in 2016! I am rushing to get it out to everyone this week before I go on holiday for a month to Andalucia. There are only 3 contributions from members and it would be really nice if we could have more contributions or regular writers on a cultural event or exhibition, so that we could have at least 3 newsletters a year (and I would not have to write them all!). We have had a good year with some wonderful lectures and an outstanding Study Day on Iran, a successful fund-raising event at and for St Thomas Becket Anglican Church, a fascinating trip to the Netherlands (see report in newsltr) and some trips to Museums (Kunst & Gewerbe, Barlach Museum, Wedel for the John Lennon musical evening,) a one day trip to NORDART 2016, our annual coffee table meeting in the summer and a visit to the private Pressed Glass Museum (see report in newsltr). Topics in this Issue FROM THE CHAIR Our lecture programme for 2017 looks excellent and the lecture and Study Day in February are the next lectures on the agenda and Adrian Sumner is an experienced and fascinating professional whom I know personally, having done some of his Study Courses in the UK. His main interest is in the Art Nouveau/Art Deco eras. We start the year with tours of the Telemann and Brahms Museums on Thursday 19 January, the invitation for which went out to members several days ago. This is a members only event. On 30 January Dr Christoph Vogtherr, Director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle is giving us a private lecture, which we have arranged with dinner. You have all had the invitation and know that there are only 55 places for this event and it has attracted a lot of attention, so if you want to attend you need to register quickly. About our venue DESY. Sometimes DESY has to tell us that it is fully booked and cannot offer us a room or we have to go into the rooms in the other building. All of this is fine as we get the rooms for free and we are eternally grateful to them for this. Our alternative venue in the past couple of years, when DESY is full, has been The Amerikazentrum in HafenCity and this is a good central location for everyone and they give us a very good rate. I had lots to say in this edition and I hope you will enjoy thumbing through these pages to see what has gone and what is to come so please read on. COMMITTEE NEWS KRÖLLER-MÜLLER MUSEUM TRIP NEW BOOKS PRESSED GLASS MUSEUM VISIT NORDART 2016 VISIT CHURCH RECORDING CULTURAL RECOMMENDATIONS MÁLAGA TOUR NADFAS NEWS EXHIBITIONS BRIDFAS ON FACEBOOK
Appointments and Vacancies on the Committee Treasurer We are delighted to announce that we have found a Treasurer after a three year search! Morag McLean will join the Committee from the beginning of 2017 and will be voted onto the Committee at the next AGM in June. Dagmar, who has been our Treasurer for the past 10 years and has done a sterling job, applied to stand down 3 years ago, so she is now able to start the New Year in the knowledge that she ll have more time on her hands in the near future! We are pleased she will continue to work with us on the Committee until the AGM. Morag McLean has recently retired from a long accountancy background, so is fully conversant with financial issues and we look forward to her joining the Committee and to your meeting her in the New Year. Membership Secretary Helga Hanses is standing down from the Committee at the AGM in June after 6 years. We are therefore seeking a new Membership Secretary to take over from Helga, who must be fully conversant with working on a computer (including Excel) and with English. We have prepared a job description of the post, which we will send to anyone interested, but brief details are: Maintaining the membership lists, members records, and name badges for lectures. Updating members information and sending it online to NADFAS in London. Dealing with membership renewals once a year. Taking the minutes at Committee meetings. A registration team at each lecture? We would like to have a team to man the registration desk at each lecture, (like Barbara s wine bar team!). This would mainly involve: recording who attends the lectures collecting guest fees and welcoming them giving out name badges general admin If you can help with this, please contact us for details or Helga Nönnecke on hnoennecke@web.de. We still need a regular photographer for lectures and events maybe a shared job between two members? 2
BRIDFAS trip to Kröller-Müller Museum and Het Loo Paleis, Netherlands 9/10 April 2016 On Saturday 9 April eighteen participants Elke Norden could unfortunately not join the party boarded the coach for the Netherlands. Not only did our coach depart on time from Statthalterplatz, we also arrived in Otterlo for an early lunch in Grand Café Hotel Kruller at exactly the moment planned in our itinerary. Freda and Martin Pink, who had arrived in Apeldoorn the day before, were already expecting us. The light lunch of soup and sandwiches was most welcome. Thus revived, we were taken into the Park Hoge Veluwe at Otterlo to the Kröller-Müller Museum and sculpture park. While the coach ferried us to the parking lot near the Museum we were delighted to see numerous visitors on the white bicycles supplied by the Park. The Barbara Hepworth retrospective Sculpture for a Modern World gave a comprehensive impression of her work and linked it to some of her contemporaries, and the documentary helped to understand her achievement in the art of sculpture in the 20th century more fully. We were lucky to have been able to see this remarkable exhibition before its closure on 17 April. The van Gogh wing literally almost overwhelmed us with its wealth of paintings not only by van Gogh, being in fact the second largest collection of his works, but also by his contemporaries Picasso, Monet, Seurat, Toorop, Gauguin, Brancusi, Gris and more. So the beautifully laid-out park with its early spring flowers was a welcome change and invited us to discover its intriguing sculptures ranging from objects which almost blended in with their sourroundings like Lucio Fontana s Concetto spaziale Natura and Chris Booth s megalithic Echo of the Veluwe via Barbara Hepworth s Squares with two Circles to Christo s strikingly mechanistic 56 Barrels. A special feature was Jean Dubuffet s Jardin d émail, which invited all ages to discovery. There was certainly a lot more to be discovered, but the coach ferried us to the Hotel De Keizerskroon in Apeldoorn in the vicinity of Het Loo Paleis. At 18 45 we all met for the lecture by the art historian Michel Didier Helene Kröller-Müller and her artists, where we heard about details of the history and the growth of the collection, the financial subtleties and the buildings connected with the family. We learnt that Helene Müller understood very early the importance of van Gogh s work and that she and her husband left the estate and the collection to the Dutch nation. It was a pleasant surprise that Jane and Wang Choy had come over from Den Haag to join us for the evening. All this had certainly whetted our appetite for the twocourse dinner which followed and which occupied a considerable part of the evening, leaving plenty of room for the discussion of the events and impressions of the day. On Sunday 10 April after breakfast, having packed and paid, we walked the short distance to Het Loo Paleis where we all heeded Pat s good advice and chose the guided audio tour to fully appreciate the marvels and history of the palace. The formal gardens were not yet in their full splendour at that early time of the year, but nevertheless quite a sight to see. 3
us another more private aspect of the Kröller-Müllers, but even here they worked with a meticulous regard to details, for instance the position of the furniture was coordinated with the ceramic floor tiles. Today it is a Rijksmonument and the Dutch Government occasionally uses it as a guest house. Contd. from previous page After a quick lunch we trooped back to the coach to depart for Jachthuis Sint Hubertus, back in the Park Hoge Veluwe for guided tours (English and German) of the Hunting Lodge, former home of Helene KröllerMüller and her husband and now a property of the Dutch nation. The building in the form of a stag s head, the tower the cross between its antlers, showed After a moment in the sun on the beautiful artificial pond we regained our coach and our expert driver, who is to be commended for his calm and sensible driving, took us home in less time than scheduled so that by 22 00 we were already in our car, homeward bound. So we all have reason to be thankful to Pat for planning and organizing another perfect outing. Thank you very much. Doris and Ernst-Albrecht Gadjus 4
New Books Purchased in the Van Gogh Museum and a good read: Van Gogh s Ear The True Story by Bernadette Murphy ISBN 978-1-784-74062-7 On 23 December 1888 Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear. Bernadette Murphy presents exclusive revelations about what happened that night: the madness, the prostitute, the art and the legend that would reverberate for years to come. See article from the Daily Telegraph for more details: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/12/van-gogh-cut-off-his-whole-ear-instead-of-just-the-lobe-and-gave/ In the Footsteps of Fidelle Duvivier Our local lecturer from Frankfurt in January 2015, Charlotte Jacob-Hanson, has just published her first book about ceramics decorator Fidelle Duvivier Details about the book and how to purchase a copy, can be found on her new website www.chjacob-hanson.com 5
Visits to the Pressed Glass Museum in Hamburg Pressed Glass doesn t really sound all that attractive, I said to my husband, Peter. Shall we bother to go? After some discussion we decided to put our names down for the visit on Saturday the 24th of September. Next question: where on earth is Bürgerweide? It must be somewhere far away. In fact it is very close to Berliner Tor and the bus 261 stops right in front of the museum. When we arrived, Pamela Wessendorf, our hostess and owner of this private museum, welcomed us warmly and offered coffee, tea and biscuits. child fascinating. It was not just pressed glass, it was a piece of Art. Pamela also showed us some new pieces, a very pretty bowl made in China and some new Rosenthal cake plates and bowls, very beautiful and very expensive. At the end of the talk Pamela showed us the green room. A rather small room lit by electric lamps only. All the pieces were made of green glass and the whole room was shimmering in a green light - a symphony in green. The museum consists of about three rooms full of pressed glass items; vases, figurines and bowls from various periods. The oldest pieces date back to 1840. The first room contains masses of different pieces, pink, blue and smoke-coloured glass from various glass manufacturers which have long since gone out of business. We were shown some beautiful pieces from the twenties and the Art Deco period in the thirties. Personally I found a vase made in East Germany in smoked glass with heads of a man, a woman and a Pamela Wessendorf is a fascinating and enthusiastic collector. During the two hours we spent with her we all learnt a lot and I believe we are now looking at pressed glass with other eyes. Should you feel that you have missed something essential, you can call Pamela mobile: 0179 224 3598 - and ask for an appointment. Ulla Eckford-Jones 6
NORDART 2016, Büdelsdorf, (our visit was on 23 July 2016) Once again a fantastic display of contemporary art and sculpture. This year the theme was Israel and The Circle of Life and we had a guided tour in the morning, followed by lunch and then plenty of time to go back to see more of the art in the old Carlshütte iron foundry or roam the sculpture park. 7
Church Recording Project Progress report on St Thomas Becket s Church Recording project Archive work In connection with our work for the Church Recorders, I paid a visit to the London Archives where I spent an interesting and fruitful day looking at our Church Archives which started over 200 years ago! They contained the records of births and deaths starting in 1815, but most interesting were the bundles of documents which contained a mass of correspondence beginning in January 1834, with details of the Articles of Concessions granted to the Church and lists of donations towards building the Church and ending with its Consecration on 11.11.1838. There were many papers written by Henry Canning (who is buried in the church) and many others concerning the building and progress of the church, with Canning s original copy - 14 pages - of the Consecration Ceremony with his handwritten notes and signature. There are lots of details of the discussions leading to the building of the church, the various donations, contracts with the architect, rebuilding the organ and the dissolution of the Merchant Adventurers in Hamburg. It is really impressive to see the amount of time and effort that went on during these five years. In addition, of course, we have a lot of more recent papers which need sorting. During our other research we have also come across interesting documents, such as a letter from John Milton dated 1649 to the Hamburg Senate concerning the Merchant Adventurers. Working with the Church Recorders has proved most interesting and I am glad to be able to take part. Peter Eckford-Jones September 2016 Cultural Recommendation Marten and Oopjen 2 exquisite Portraits by Rembrandt 2 Museums joined together to acquire 2 Rembrandts at the same time the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Louvre in Paris. These life size marriage portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit had not been seen in public for many years. In 1878 a private collector sold them to Gustave Baron de Rothschild and only once did they came back from Paris to the Netherlands for an exhibition in 1956. 60 years later they were found hanging in an ornate gallery in Rothschild s palatial Hotel de Marigny and purchased by the Dutch and French governments to hang for varying periods in both of the above museums. What did they cost: EUR 160 million, hence the unprecedented joint purchase! 8
BRIDFAS Cultural Tour to Málaga Málaga, Art History & Picasso, 1 6 November 2017 I am pleased to announce that, after a great deal of work, the proposed tour to Málaga is taking place in 2017 from 1 6 November (5 nights and 4 full days). I put my prepared itinerary in the hands of a NADFAS tour company in the UK, who have been able to book the flights and present the whole thing as a package. The 4* hotel is right in the centre of the old town, so you can walk out of the door and enjoy all the delights of the architecture, sights, museums, shops, restaurants and bars. The itinerary includes various guided museum visits, a lecture on Picasso, dinner in an 18th century Spanish house, a half day trip to Mijas Pueblo, walking tour of Málaga and other attractions, as well as some free time for you to visit other museums or enjoy the delights of the ancient Andalucian city. Founded in 770 BC, Pablo Picasso s hometown is defined by a long, diverse history and has a lot to offer the visitor by way of ancient monuments, wonderful museums, a mountainous backdrop, beaches, gardens and shopping. The invitation with full details will be sent out in January 2017. NADFAS News NADFAS head office in London has been carrying out considerable research and analysis in preparation for a rebranding, which they feel is much needed and there is to be a change of name. We have been asked to complete several questionnaires and to give our opinion and it is true that explaining what BRIDFAS or NADFAS actually stands for is rather long-winded. They feel a different name along with a new brand will greatly enhance the Organisation. NADFAS engaged the services of Jane Wentworth Associates in London a consultancy which is an international leader in brand for the cultural sector. Details of the new name and subsequent rebranding will be announced at the end of January 2017. We will keep you informed. 9
Current and forthcoming exhibitions in and around Hamburg Hamburger Kunsthalle 7 October 2016 22 January 2017 DALÍ, ERNST, MIRÓ, MAGRITTE www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de Ernst Barlach Haus im Jenisch Park 9 October 16 15 January 2017 George Grosz: Der grosse Zeitvertreib www.barlach-haus.de Ernst Barlach Museum Wedel 17 July 2016 28 February 2017 Friedensreich Hundertwasser Wege ins Paradies. www.ernst-barlach.de/wedel.html Bucerius Kunst Forum 1 October 2016-15 January 2017 Venedig: Stadt der Künstler www.buceriuskunstforum.de Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe 28 October 2016 23 April 2017 Game Masters 11 November - until 26 February 2017 Buchumschlaege 21 October 2016 01 October 2017 Eigensinn GEDOK Künstlerinnen der Hamburger Sezession www.mkg-hamburg.de/en/ Deichtorhallen & Sammlung Falckenberg 1 October 2016-22 January 2017 Sammlung Viehof www.deichtorhallen.de/en Sprengel Museum Hannover So 05.06.2016 So 29.01.2017 130% Sprengel 26 April 2016 7 May 2017 Niki de Saint Phalle The Big Shots www.sprengel-museum.de Mauritshuis, Den Haag https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/ Currently showing an exhibition entitled: At Home in Holland: Vermeer and his Contemporaries from the British Royal Collection until 5 February 2017 This exhibition is a collaboration between Royal Collection Trust and the Mauritshuis. The famous Royal Collection held in trust by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II contains highlights from the oeuvres of famous painters such as Gerard ter Borch, Gerrit Dou, Pieter de Hooch, Gabriel Metsu and Jan Steen. The works selected for this exhibit are all genre paintings by Dutch artists of the Golden Age. The highlight is Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman ( The Music Lesson ) by Vermeer. Jane Choy reports that the exhibit is very popular and it has been keeping her busy! The English Theatre of Hamburg is currently showing Don t lose the place a comedy by Derek Benfield until early February 2017 and Othello by William Shakespeare from 16 February 2017 www.englishtheatre.de/ 10
BRIDFAS Facebook page www.facebook.com/bridfashamburg I got a BRIDFAS Facebook page up and running in the summer and have been regularly putting information and events up. Social media is important to companies and organisations these days to spread the word and publicise themselves if the others are doing it, then we ve got to do it too! Furthermore, if we want to get younger people involved in BRIDFAS, then we have to go with the flow. If you have family or grandchildren who are on Facebook please ask them to click on our site (link above) as each time somebody connects with our page it spreads it to others. Also, if you have anything interesting you d like to upload about cultural events, information, anecdotes or stories, please let me have it and I can upload it. It just remains for me to say.....thank you to the Committee for all their work during the year and thank you to you, our members, for supporting us. We work hard to provide you with an interesting and professional programme and the reward for us is good attendance at the events and lectures. The Committee joins me in wishing you all a very happy Christmas and all the best for a successful 2017. Very best wishes. Pat, Mary, Dagmar, Helga, Heidrun and Jeannie Pat Pledger Chairperson 12 December 2016 patpledger.bet@t-online.de Tel: +49 40 821858 11