BY SHELLY SCHOENESHOEFER
One of the major restrictions of this continuous lockdown is the lack of cultural events at venues such as cinemas , theaters , and art museums . So , after months of this lockdown , we were finally allowed to go out and visit an art museum , which at the time meant calling or going online to reserve tickets ( which were very limited ), and then appearing at the correct time with an FFP2 mask and ticket in hand . Carol B . and I were so excited to be the last two people to see the collection of Helmut and Loki Schmidt at the Ernst Barlach House in Jenisch Park on March 14 before it was packed up . It is hard to believe that this exhibition was supposed to have opened at the beginning of last October and gone until the end of January . It basically was open for five weeks total . It ’ s a shocking and unbelievable financial disaster , which will take these institutions years to recover from . Luckily , this museum is small and will quickly recover as long as it can stay open .
Both Helmut and Loki Schmidt were born in Hamburg . They lived in
So much of the works ’ descriptions referred to
Photo by Shelly Schoeneschoefer a staircase that it made me think they must have had an enormous grand staircase with huge wall space . I was surprised that , instead , their ordinary-sized staircase was a display point for such great masters as Edvard Munch , Marc Chagall , and Rolf Böhling . The Schmidts enjoyed the works of Pablo Picasso , Jean Cocteau , Francisco de Goya , and Salvador Dali as well . There were several women artists represented in the collection , such as Kathe Kollwitz , Paula Modersohn-Becker , Marianne Lüdicke , Marga Böhmer , Lilli Palmer , Maria Pirwitz , Olga Bontjes van Beek , Eva de Maiziere , and Gundrun Brüne-Heisig . I am also surprised that they never had any art stolen from their house , considering how much they owned .
The collection includes drawings , paintings , lithographs , sculptures , ceramics , and artifacts . Carol and I both noticed that many of the works were in muted grays , blacks , and earth tones . I expected colorful flowers since Loki was known for her flower gardens . I only noticed one painting with yellow flowers , but a ship motif was definitely prominently on display . Many of the works felt like they were from the region of Hamburg , but that was not the case , since many of the artists were from somewhere else . We also decided that , since Ernst Barlach would have been 150 years old this year , it was appropriate to have the chancellor ’ s collection on display . Unfortunately , since we were the last to see this exhibition , you all will have to wait until they do it again somewhere else or buy the book , which displays all the works in their collection .
Photo by Shelly Schoeneschoefer of bust of Helmut Schmidt
a very modern house , which suited the neighborhood in Langenhorn . Helmut Schmidt was a member of the Social Democratic Party ( SPD ) and served as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany ( West Germany ) from 1974 to 1982 . He was well-known for his financial politics .
Both Carol and I were surprised at how few people were inside , but that meant we could relax and take our time to really look at the collection . I think this was the first time that I viewed artwork so connected to its position within a house .
Photo by Shelly Schoeneschoefer of a photo of the staircase of the Schmidts ‘ house .
www . awchamburg . org 49