The Neue Künstlervereinigung München (N.K.V.M.), ("New Artists' Association Munich") was an Expressionism

art group An art group or artist group, sometimes also an artist collective, describes itself as an open or fixed association of artists to a group with a name. Founders and initiators of artist groups are mostly well-known artists, around whom similarly thin ...

based in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. The registered association was formed in 1909 and prefigured ''

Der Blaue Reiter ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider) is a designation by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc for their exhibition and publication activities, in which both artists acted as sole editors in the almanac of the same name, first published in mid-May ...

'' (The Blue Rider), the first modernist

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

which is regarded as a forerunner and pathfinder for Modern art in 20th-century Germany.

Historical background

The idea for the N.K.V.M.

The precursor to the N.K.V.M. was the "Brotherhood of St. Luke", which the Russian painter

Marianne von Werefkin Marianne von Werefkin, born Marianna Vladimirovna Veryovkina ( rus, Мариа́нна Влади́мировна Верёвкина, Marianna Vladimirovna Veryovkina, mərʲɪˈanːə vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvnə vʲɪˈrʲɵfkʲɪnə; – 6 Febr ...

had gathered around her in 1897 in her adopted home of Munich in the district of

Schwabing Schwabing is a borough in the northern part of Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria. It is part of the city borough 4 (Schwabing-West) and the city borough 12 (Schwabing-Freimann). The population of Schwabing is estimated about 100 ...

in her "pink salon". The members saw themselves as standing in the tradition of the

Guild of Saint Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was ide ...

. Already at that time, one planned "Manifestations, that is, Exhibitions". The idea for the N.K.V.M. was also born in Werefkin's salon (before Christmas 1908). Apart from Werefkin,

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 ...

, Adolf Erbslöh and the German entrepreneur, art collector, aviation pioneer and musician were involved in founding "the new artists' association".

Gabriele Münter Gabriele Münter (19 February 1877 – 19 May 1962) was a German expressionist painter who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century. She studied and lived with the painter Wassily Kandinsky and was a founding mem ...

and

Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...

were initially not informed of the project. This annoyed Kandinsky years later, which to a certain extent explains his hesitation when he was offered to take over the chairmanship of the N.K.V.M. in January 1909.

Foundation, members and goals

On 22 January 1909, the founding statutes was written. Initially, the members were: (aka Wladimir von Bechtejeff), Th. E. Buttler, Adolf Erbslöh,

Leonhard Frank Leonhard Frank (4 September 1882 in Würzburg – 18 August 1961 in Munich) was a German expressionist writer. He studied painting and graphic art in Munich, and gained acclaim with his first novel ''The Robber Band'' (1914, tr. 1928). When a Ber ...

Gustav Freytag Gustav Freytag (; 13 July 1816 – 30 April 1895) was a German novelist and playwright. Life Freytag was born in Kreuzburg (Kluczbork) in Silesia. After attending the school at Oels (Oleśnica), he studied philology at the universities of ...

Thomas de Hartmann Thomas Alexandrovich de Hartmann (russian: Фома́ Алекса́ндрович Га́ртман; October 3 .S.: September 21 1884March 28, 1956) was a Ukrainian-born composer, pianist and professor of composition. Life De Hartmann was born o ...

, Alexej von Jawlensky, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexander Kanoldt, Marga Kanoldt-Zerener, Johanna Kanoldt,

Alfred Kubin Alfred Leopold Isidor Kubin (10 April 1877 – 20 August 1959) was an Austrian printmaker, illustrator, and occasional writer. Kubin is considered an important representative of Symbolism and Expressionism. Biography Kubin was born in Bohemia ...

, Gabriele Münter, Charles Johann Palmié, Hugo Schimmel, art historian Heinrich Schnabel, Marianne von Werefkin and Oscar Wittenstein. In the same year Paul Baum, Erma Bossi, , Karl Hofer, Moissey Kogan and the Russian dancer Alexander Sacharoff joined the association. Of these, over the course of the year, Baum, Buttler, Frank, Kanoldt-Zerener, Palmié and Schimmel dropped out. The following were elected to the board: Kandinsky as the first chairman, Jawlensky as the second, Johanna Kanoldt as deputy, Wittenstein as the first secretary, and Johanna Kanoldt as treasurer. On 10 May, the N.K.V.M. was registered in the municipal register of associations in Munich. In a circular letter to influential personalities bearing the signet of the artists' association, the artists' group made aware, among other things, their goals: Kandinsky had introduced a paragraph into the statutes of the N.K.V.M. the "four square meter clause" - that would give him the lever to leave the association in 1911: In 1910, Erbslöh was appointed secretary of the N.K.V.M. When the conservative forces in the N.K.V.M. increasingly had disagreements, which were sparked by Kandinsky's increasingly abstract painting - he was asked to produce "preferably understandable works" - he resigned as chairman in January 1911. Erbslöh became his successor. Also in January, Franz Marc became a member and third chairman of the N.K.V.M. At the general assembly on 4 February, the members of the artists' association elected Wittenstein as second chairman, Alexander Kanoldt as first secretary, Schnabel as second secretary and Johanna Kanoldt as treasurer. The first exhibition showed the original group and artists invited; the second exhibition expanded to include French and Russian avant-garde artists such as

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, Georges Braque; the third and final exhibition excluded most of the previous exhibitors, especially the secessionists of ''

'' who launched their parallel exhibition in the same gallery, as a result of tensions within the N.K.V.M.

1st Exhibition: "''Turnus 1909–1910''"

The catalogue of the first N.K.V.M. exhibition lists 128 items by 16 artists: Paul Baum, , Erma Bossi, Dresler, Eckert, Erbslöh, , Karl Hofer, Jawlensky, Kandinsky, Kanoldt,

Kogan Kogan (russian: Ко́ган) is a Russian spelling variant of the Jewish surname Cohen. * Aleksandr Kogan — several people * Artur Kogan (born 1974), Israeli chess master * Belle Kogan (1902–2000), American industrial designer * Boris Kog ...

, Alfreds Kubin, Münter, Pohle, Werefkin, and is accompanied by 14 reproductions and a list of prices. On view beginning on December 1, 1909, at the Moderne Galerie in Munich, this exhibition traveled to 9 venues: * December 1–15, 1909: Munich, Moderne Galerie Heinrich Thannhauser * Brünn * Elberfeld * Barmen * Hamburg * Düsseldorf * Wiesbaden * Schwerin * Frankfurt am Main.See Hoberg & Friedel (1999), pp. 366 It received mainly negative criticism from the local press.

2nd Exhibition: "''Turnus 1910–1911''"

The catalogue of the second N.K.V.M. exhibition lists 115 items by 29 artists: Bechtejew, Bossi, Braque, Derain,

Kees van Dongen Cornelis Theodorus Maria "Kees" van Dongen (26 January 1877 – 28 May 1968) was a Dutch-French painter who was one of the leading Fauves. Van Dongen's early work was influenced by the Hague School and symbolism and it evolved gradually into a r ...

, Durio, Erbslöh, Le Fauconnier, Girieud, Haller, Hoetger, Jawlensky, von Kahler,

Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...

, Kanoldt,

, Kubin, Alexander Mogilewski, Münter, Nieder, Picasso, Rouault, Scharff, de Vlaminck, Werefkin, David Burljuk, Wladimir Burljuk, Denissoff, Soudbinine, and is accompanied by 20 reproductions and 2 pages of advertisements. On view from September 1, 1910, at the Moderne Galerie in Munich, this exhibition visited 8 venues in: *Moderne Galerie Munich *Karlsruhe, Mannheim *Hagen *Paul Cassirer Berlin *Leipzig *Galerie Arnold Dresden *Munich Weimar * Neue Secession Berlin

3rd Exhibition: "''Turnus 1911–1912''"

The third and final N.K.V.M. exhibition showed 58 paintings by 8 artists: Erma Barrera-Bossi, Wladimir von Bechtejeff, Adolf Erbslöh,

Pierre Girieud Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, Alexander Kanoldt, Moissey Kogan and

, and 8 illustrations – one for each participant.Reprint, reproduced in Hoberg & Friedel (1999), pp. 362–363. On view from December 18, 1911, at the Moderne Galerie in Munich, this exhibition originally was intended for 8 or 9 venues, but probably ceased to travel after the 2nd venue: * December 18, 1911 – January 1, 1912: Munich/München, Moderne Galerie * Zürich & Bremen (?) * Köln * Elberfeld * Mannheim * Munich, Secession * Heidelberg * Frankfurt am Main * Jena * Breslau