Max Creutz (8 December 1876 – 13 March 1932) was a German art historian and curator of the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum in

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 ...

where he worked from 1922 until his death. In

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, in 1914 he was instrumental in the first exhibition of the Deutscher Werkbund, Deutsche Werkbundausstellung. In Krefeld, he succeeded in acquiring

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

exhibits, including works by Max Ernst, Wassily Kandinsky, and

Alexej von Jawlensky Alexej Georgewitsch von Jawlensky (russian: Алексе́й Гео́ргиевич Явле́нский, translit=Alekséy Geórgiyevich Yavlénskiy) (13 March 1864 – 15 March 1941), surname also spelt as Yavlensky, was a Russian expressioni ...

. He included a substantial collection of art, crafts and design from the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...

Life and work

Creutz was born in

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

and attended the Progymnasium in

Jülich Jülich (; in old spellings also known as ''Guelich'' or ''Gülich'', nl, Gulik, french: Juliers, Ripuarian: ''Jöllesch'') is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. As a border region betwe ...

, and then the Gymnasium in

Düren Düren (; ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the territory of the Eburones, a people ...

, where he graduated in 1897. His father, also Max Creutz was Königlicher Kreis-Rentmeister. Creutz studied art history in Vienna, and attended a school for painting. In

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

and then at the

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 ...

he studied art history and philosophy, and trained himself in painting. Meanwhile, he traveled extensively, through Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. He attained his PhD on 16 March 1901, with a thesis titled "Masaccio, mit dem Versuch zur stilistischen und chronologischen Einordnung seiner Werke" (

Masaccio Masaccio (, , ; December 21, 1401 – summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasari, ...

, trying to sort his works in style and time). This was followed by a period as a research assistant at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin, where he worked on the new edition of the ''Kunsthandbuch'' (1904).Kunsthandbuch für Deutschland
(in German) Verlag Georg Reimer 1904 He also published in the journal '.

Cologne

From 1908, Creutz was director of the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln. At the end of 1911, the association of craftsmen Deutscher Werkbund, founded in 1907, hoped to have a representative exhibition of their own.

Carl Rehorst Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...

, the chairman of the Cologne Werkbund, wanted it in his city at all costs and immediately initiated the founding of an association, with himself as executive chairman, together with the mayor Max Wallraf and the chairman of Deutscher Werkbund, . Initially, only

Karl Ernst Osthaus Karl Ernst Osthaus (15 April 1874, in Hagen – 25 March 1921, in Merano) was an important German patron of avant-garde art and architecture. Life Osthaus was born to a wealthy banking family, who also owned several businesses in the textile a ...

and Creutz were included as "local confidants" in the regional association. In 1912, Creutz was on the organizing committee of the Internationale Kunstausstellung des Sonderbundes Westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler in Cologne, bringing together more than 600 artworks from artists like Van Gogh, Munch, Picasso, Cézanne, Kirchner and others. Creutz became vice secretary for the 1914 Deutsche Werkbundausstellung. He noted in 1913 on Rehorst's urban planning: "Rehorst is attempting a balance between the preservation of the old cityscape and the construction of the new one. ..It is particularly to Karl Rehorst's credit that, in the face of great difficulties, he has treated precisely the stepchildren of architecture: utilitarian buildings and industrial works, with as much love as the city's representative buildings." Rehorst repeatedly adapted the overall plan of the exhibition and organised it with a huge staff of municipal officials. The Deutsche Werkbundausstellung was opened on 16 May 1914.Cöln 1914 – Köln 2014 / 100 Jahre Deutsche Werkbundausstellung
(in German) koelnarchitektur.de 2014, retrieved 1 October 2021 In 1919, the exhibition of the collection opened at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Köln.Wilhelm Clemens, der Kunstsammler,
Peter Zenker: ''Wilhelm Clemens aus Neurath, Maler, Kunstsammler, Stifter'' (PDF), on peter-zenker.de, retrieved 23 September 2021 Creutz, a Rhinelander as Clemens, was one of few people with knowledge of the collecting activities of the painter.

Krefeld

In 1922, Creutz moved from Cologne to

to succeed Friedrich Deneken, who had been director of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum there for a quarter of a century. While Deneken's focus had been on modern decorative arts and small art (''Kleinkunst)'' of Jugendstil and

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 ...

, Creutz shifted the exhibition and acquisition policy to

, the contemporary art of the time. Soon, the museum's collection included not only works by the so-called German Impressionists, but also by the Brücke painters, Der Blaue Reiter artists, and works by .Gisela Husemann
Farbwelten / Von Monet bis Yves Klein / Werke der klassischen Moderne aus den Kunstmuseen Krefeld
(in German) ''Thüringer Staatsanzeiger'', 2 July 2010, retrieved 1 October 2021Collection of the Kunstmuseen Krefeld / The Beginnings
(in German) Kunstmuseum Krefeld, 2 July 2010, retrieved 1 October 2021 In addition to important individual works such as ''Marine verte'' (1925) by Max Ernst, ''Sintflut'' (1912) by Wassily Kandinsky, the ''Symphonie Schwarz-Rot'' (1929) by

, works by

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (Karl Schmidt until 1905; 1 December 1884 – 10 August 1976) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker; he was one of the four founders of the artist group Die Brücke. Life and work Schmidt-Rottluff was born in ...

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-centur ...

Erich Heckel Erich Heckel (31 July 1883 – 27 January 1970) was a German painter and printmaker, and a founding member of the group ''Die Brücke'' ("The Bridge") which existed 1905–1913. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Oly ...

Heinrich Nauen Heinrich Nauen (1 June 1880, in Krefeld – 26 November 1940, in Kalkar) was a German Expressionist artist. He created oils, watercolors, and prints; as well as murals and mosaics. A large part of his output consists of landscapes and floral stil ...

and

Heinrich Campendonk Heinrich Mathias Ernst Campendonk (3 November 1889 – 9 May 1957) was a painter and graphic designer born in Germany who became a naturalized Dutch citizen. Life Campendonk was born in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was the ...

were added.Lob des Unkonventionellen
(in German) ''

Die Welt ''Die Welt'' ("The World") is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. ''Die Welt'' is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group. Its leading competitors are the ''Frankfurter Allg ...

'', 30 May 2010, 2 July 2010, retrieved 1 October 2021 Campendonk's ''Pierrot mit Schlange'' was acquired in 1923.Petra Diederichs
Wieder wie neu: Campendonks schönstes Werk. / Max Creutz, Direktor des KWM bis 1932, hatte ihn für die Sammlung erworben
'' Rheinische Post'', 13 February 2016, retrieved 23 September 2021 In 1923 Creutz succeeded in bringing a travelling model exhibition of Deutscher Werkbund to Krefeld, presenting over 2000 objects and graphic works from the .Lauter Trümpfe im Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum
(in German) '' Westdeutsche Zeitung'', 15 June 2019, retrieved 1 October 2021 It consisted of works by the most important modern artists, architects and designers from the period 1900 to 1914, making Krefeld one of the few collections representing the

movement. From 1911, he worked closely with the

Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...

-based art collector and patron Karl Ernst Osthaus. In 1923, Creutz commissioned Johan Thorn-Prikker to paint monumental murals for his museum, depicting four phases of life from childhood to maturity. In 1928, in collaboration with Kandisky, he held an exhibition titled ''Farbe'' (''Colour''). Kandinsky, who contributed exhibitis, had given Bauhaus courses on the use of colour in crafts and industry, had attended a 1902 exhibition ''Farbenschau'' organised by Deneken in Krefeld and had been inspired to contribute to the ''Der Blaue Reiter'' almanch. Two new villas were designed by

Mies van der Rohe Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...

for industrialists Hermann Lange (1874–1942) and Josef Esters, and built in Krefeld side by side as

Haus Lange and Haus Esters Haus Lange and Haus Esters are two residential houses designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Krefeld, Germany, for German industrialists Hermann Lange and Josef Esters. They were built between 1928 and 1930 in the Bauhaus style. The houses have ...

. Lange was a co-founder of the Neue Kunst association for modern art in Krefeld and supported Creutz in numerous undertakings that served to promote modern art. The villa house museum collections today.

Private life and legacy

Creutz was married to Käthe, née Schütze, a sister of the painter, graphic artist and women's rights activist Ilse Schütze (1868–1923), who was married to . Creutz died in 1932 at the age of 55. He did not have to witness how an essential part of his life's work was destroyed in 1937 by the Nazis' expropriation and sale of the Expressionist collection of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum. Three 1925 painting by Mondrian escaped because Creutz had failed to list them in the inventory.Benno Schirrmeister
Kunst-Geschichten: Vom Freiheitskampf der Farben
(in German) ''

taz Taz or TAZ may refer to: Geography *Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia *Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia People * Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia ** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...

'', 30 October 2009, retrieved 1 October 2021 The paintings ''Pierrot mit Schlange'' by Campendonk and

Emil Nolde Emil Nolde (born Hans Emil Hansen; 7 August 1867 – 13 April 1956) was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the ...

's ''Milking Cows'' (1913) returned to Krefeld after World War II. ''Pierrot mit Schlange'' was restored and exhibited again in 2016. In 2019, on the occasion of the centenary of the Bauhaus, the Kunstmuseum Krefeld held an exhibition of the Bauhaus arts, crafts and design that Creutz had brought to Krefeld.

Publications

Julius Lessing Julius Lessing (20 September 1843 – 14 March 1908) was a German art historian and the first director of the Berliner Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin). Life Lessing attended university in Berlin and Bonn, after which ...

, Max Creutz (eds:):
Wandteppiche und Decken des Mittelalters in Deutschland
'. ''Wasmuth'', Berlin 1901 * ''Kunsthandbuch für Deutschland'', Erstausgabe 1904 *
Das Charlottenburger Rathaus
'. in: ''Berliner Architekturwelt''. year 8, 1906Das Charlottenburger Rathaus
in: ''Berliner Architekturwelt''. year 8, 1906 * , Max Creutz: ''Cölnischer Kunstgewerbe-Verein.'' XVIII. Jahres-Bericht des Kunstgewerbe-Museums der Stadt Cöln für 1908. DuMont, Cologne, 1909 * , Max Creutz: ''Geschichte der Metallkunst.'' Vol. 2: Max Creutz:
Kunstgeschichte der edlen Metalle
'. ''Enke'', Stuttgart 1909 * Joseph Maria Olbrich, Max Creutz: ''Das Warenhaus Tietz in Düsseldorf''. ''Wasmuth'', Berlin 1909''Joseph M. Olbrich; das warenhaus Tietz in Düsseldorf.''
on WorldCat * Max Creutz:
Banken und andere Verwaltungsgebäude
'. Wasmuth, Berlin, 1911 *
Das Warenhaus Tiez in Elberfeld
von Prof.

Wilhelm Kreis Wilhelm Kreis (17 March 1873 – 13 August 1955) was a prominent German architect and professor of architecture, active through four political systems in German history: the Wilhelmine era, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the founda ...

, X. Sonderheft der Architektur des XX. Jahrhunderts''. Ernst Wasmuth, Berlin 1912

References

External links

Gerhard Storck: ''Ursprünge: Als Krefelder Kunst in die Zukunft aufbrach'', März 1932, starb in Krefeld der Kunsthistoriker Max Creutz
''Westdeutsche Zeitung'', 5 April 2007, retrieved 23 September 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Creutz, Max German art historians German curators 1876 births 1932 deaths People from Aachen