Friedrich Deneken (15 March 1857,

Hadersleben Haderslev (; german: Hadersleben ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 22,011 (1 January 2022).Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...

?) was a German

art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

and museum director.

Biography

From 1876, he studied

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

classical philology Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

, then at the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

. In 1881, he returned to Berlin to study with

Ernst Curtius Ernst Curtius (; 2 September 181411 July 1896) was a German archaeologist, historian and museum director. Biography He was born in Lübeck. On completing his university studies he was chosen by C. A. Brandis to accompany him on a journey to ...

and presented his

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

on the theme of

Theoxenia Xenia ( el, ξενία) is an ancient Greek concept of hospitality. It is almost always translated as 'guest-friendship' or 'ritualized friendship'. It is an institutionalized relationship rooted in generosity, gift exchange, and reciprocity. Hi ...

(offering hospitality to a God in disguise), which earned him his PhD. After that, he turned to art history and worked at the

Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (''Museum of Art and Design Hamburg'') is a museum of fine, applied and decorative arts in Hamburg, Germany. It is located centrally, near the Hauptbahnhof. History The museum was founded in 1874, fol ...

. From 1897 to 1922, he served as the first Director of the in Krefeld. There, he built up a collection of contemporary art; primarily

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

. He was also involved in an effort to establish a collaboration between local industries and artists or craftsmen ; such as

Peter Behrens Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a leading German architect, graphic and industrial designer, best known for his early pioneering AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin in 1909. He had a long career, designing objects, typefaces, and i ...

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium ...

, Otto Eckmann and

Joseph Maria Olbrich Joseph Maria Olbrich (22 December 1867 – 8 August 1908) was an Austrian architect and one of the Vienna Secession founders. Early life Olbrich was born in Opava, Austrian Silesia (now Czech Republic), the third child of Edmund and Aloisia O ...

. Later, he became one of the founders of the

Deutscher Werkbund The Deutscher Werkbund (English: "German Association of Craftsmen"; ) is a German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists established in 1907. The Werkbund became an important element in the development of modern arch ...

and campaigned for the establishment of a

Kunstgewerbeschule A Kunstgewerbeschule (English: ''School of Arts and Crafts'' or S''chool of Applied Arts'') was a type of vocational arts school that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. The term Werkkunstschule was also used for thes ...

in Krefeld. In 1904,

Johan Thorn Prikker Johan Thorn Prikker (6 June 1868, The Hague - 5 March 1932, Cologne) was a Dutch artist who worked in Germany after 1904. His activities were very eclectic, including architecture, lithography, furniture, stained-glass windows, mosaics, tapestries ...

was appointed as one of the first teachers there. He served as a delegate to numerous major art exhibitions. Notable works include ''Linie und Form'' (1904), ''Die Sammlung niederrheinischer Tonarbeiten'' (1914) and ''Die Sammlung japanischer Farbenholzschnitte'' (1922)

Sources

* Christiane Lange: "Die Krefelder Teppichfabrik AG, vormals Joh. Kneusels & Co. und die Reformbestrebungen des Krefelder Museumsdirektors Friedrich Deneken (1897–1914)". In: Dieter Breuer (Ed.): ''Die Moderne im Rheinland''. Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1994, pgs. 343–349. * Rainer Stamm: "Aufbruch in die Moderne. Das Kaiser Wilhelm Museum unter seinem ersten Direktor Friedrich Deneken (1897–1922)". In: ''Farbwelten. Von Monet bis Yves Klein. Werke der klassischen Moderne aus den

Kunstmuseen Krefeld The Kunstmuseen Krefeld (''Krefeld Art Museums'') is an art museum in Krefeld, Germany. It is particularly dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Three houses constitute the museum—the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Haus Lange and Haus Esters. Sinc ...

,'' Bremen 2009, pgs. 9–19.

External links

Ein Pionier für die Moderne
@ Kreiszeitung * ''De Theoxeniis''. Berlin 1881 (Thesis
Online
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Deneken, Friedrich 1857 births 1927 deaths German art historians Directors of museums in Germany People from Haderslev Municipality