Städtische Galerie im Park Viersen
Encyclopedia
Die Städtische Galerie im Park Viersen i.e. the municipal art gallery of Viersen
is located in a fine old town house making an impressive home for the gallery, with its valuable collection of graphic reproductions. It is surrounded by a beautiful park with huge old trees housing the Viersen sculpture collection
.
and Albrecht Dürer
, but also by Marc Chagall
, Picasso (La Poule), Braque, Fernand Léger
and Joan Miró
, graphic works of German Expressionists
such as Lyonel Feininger
, Kokoschka, Paul Klee
and Emil Nolde
, a collection of Rhenish artists as well as of contemporary art
bought on the occasion of exhibitions by the artists in the gallery. 40 photographs by the famous Rhenish photographer August Sander
belong to the collection too.
(1987), Hermann Schmitz (1987), Henry Moore
(1989), Erwin Heerich (1990), Tony Cragg
(1996), Lothar-Günther Buchheim
(1997), Anatol (2002), Roberto Matta
(2002), Georg Ettl (2003), Ewald Mataré
(2004), ZEBRA (2005), Martin Lersch (2006), Günter Haese (2007) and Wang Du
(2010).
Viersen
Viersen is the capital of the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Viersen is situated approximately 8 km north-west of Mönchengladbach, 15 km south-west of Krefeld and 20 km east of Venlo ....
is located in a fine old town house making an impressive home for the gallery, with its valuable collection of graphic reproductions. It is surrounded by a beautiful park with huge old trees housing the Viersen sculpture collection
Viersen sculpture collection
The Viersen Sculpture Collection belongs to the major sculpture parks in Germany and is located in the center of Viersen .- History :...
.
The building
The building was constructed in 1869 as representative neo-renaissance townhouse and became the property of the firm Kaisers Kaffeegeschäft in 1899, who had its headquarters in Viersen. Since 1973 this fine villa belongs to the city of Viersen. In 1976 it became listed as important example of the architecture of its time, in 1980 it was moderately remodeled for use as an art gallery, which opened up in 1981 as Städtische Galerie im Park for exhibitions as well as other cultural events. It is located right in the centre of town close to a new group of buildings housing the district administration, the so called Forum and the central bus station.The collections
The Galerie im Park houses several collections, one of which is the important collection already started in the beginning of the sixties by the then head of the cities administrative staff van Kaldenkerken called Grafische Sammlung i.e. graphic collection. To the now more than 1000 pieces dating from the end of the 15th century to the present time belong precious works f. i. by Rembrandt, RubensRubens
Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens , the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens (composer) Rubens is...
and Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, but also by Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, Picasso (La Poule), Braque, Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...
and Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
, graphic works of German Expressionists
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
such as Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Charles Feininger was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist.-Life and work:...
, Kokoschka, Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
and Emil Nolde
Emil Nolde
Emil Nolde was a German painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and is considered to be one of the great oil painting and watercolour painters of the 20th century. He is known for his vigorous brushwork and expressive choice of colors...
, a collection of Rhenish artists as well as of contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
bought on the occasion of exhibitions by the artists in the gallery. 40 photographs by the famous Rhenish photographer August Sander
August Sander
August Sander was a German portrait and documentary photographer. Sander's first book Face of our Time was published in 1929...
belong to the collection too.
The exhibitions
The high quality of the exhibitions taking place several times a year attracts visitors from the lower Rhine area as well as the Netherlands. The first exhibition in 1981 showed works by the realist painter Dieter Asmus, followed by ones showing diverse styles up to kinetic art by Günter Haese (2007). The most outstanding artists who's exhibions where often accompanied by special publications, were for example Christoph MeckelChristoph Meckel
Christoph Meckel is a German author and graphic artist.- Life :Christoph Meckel spent his youth in Freiburg im Breisgau, where he attended Gymnasium. In 1954/55 he studied graphic art at the Academy of Art in Freiburg im Breisgau, and in 1956 at the Academy of Art in München.Since 1956 he has...
(1987), Hermann Schmitz (1987), Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
(1989), Erwin Heerich (1990), Tony Cragg
Tony Cragg
Tony Cragg is a British visual artist specialized in sculpture. He is currently the director of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.-Early life:Cragg was born in Liverpool in 1949...
(1996), Lothar-Günther Buchheim
Lothar-Günther Buchheim
Lothar-Günther Buchheim was a German author and painter. He is best known for his novel Das Boot , which became an international bestseller and was adapted in 1981 as an Oscar-nominated film.-Early life:...
(1997), Anatol (2002), Roberto Matta
Roberto Matta
Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren , better known as Roberto Matta, was one of Chile's best-known painters and a seminal figure in 20th century abstract expressionist and surrealist art....
(2002), Georg Ettl (2003), Ewald Mataré
Ewald Mataré
Ewald Wilhelm Hubert Mataré was a German painter and sculptor, who dealt with, among other things, the figures of men and animals in a stylized form.-Career:...
(2004), ZEBRA (2005), Martin Lersch (2006), Günter Haese (2007) and Wang Du
Wang Du
Wang Du is a contemporary Chinese artist who focuses on three-dimensional painted objects. Traditionally trained in Guangzhou, he now lives and has his studio in Paris...
(2010).
Other activities
Besides readings by authors and concerts the municipal gallery offers an educational program with guided tours for schools and other groups. A special event is always the guided snoop-tour at lunch time on the first Tuesday of each month, which casts a spotlight on a few chosen objects of the current exhibition.Secondary literature
- Werner Mellen: Städtische Galerie im Park Viersen. Die wechselvolle Geschichte des Hauses. In: Albert Pauly (editor). Viersen – Beiträge zu einer Stadt. Vol. 4. Viersen 1983
- Angelika Pack, Helmut HeißenbüttelHelmut HeißenbüttelHelmut Heißenbüttel was a German novelist and poet. Among Heißenbüttel's works are Das Textbuch and Marlowe's Ende . He received the important Georg Büchner Prize in 1969...
: 10 Jahre Städtische Galerie im Park Viersen. Kulturamt der Stadt Viersen 1992 - Jutta Pitzen: Die Graphische Sammlung der Stadt Viersen. Vol. 1-4. Editor: Stadt Viersen, Fachbereich Schule, Kultur und Sport. Viersen 1996/97