The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
, in 1694/1696 by
prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...
Frederick III, in personal union Duke
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I (german: Friedrich I.; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union ( Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function h ...
, and later king in
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
.
After the
Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...
in Rome and the
Académies Royales in Paris, the Prussian Academy of Art was the oldest institution of its kind in Europe, with a similar mission to other royal academies of that time, such as the
Real Academia Española
The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...
in Madrid, the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
in London, or the
Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts
The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architec ...
in Stockholm.
The academy had a decisive influence on art and its development in the German-speaking world throughout its existence.
For an extended period of time it was also the German artists' society and training organisation, whilst the Academy's Senate became Prussia's
arts council as early as 1699.
It dropped 'Prussian' from its name in 1945 and was finally disbanded in 1955 after the 1954 foundation of two separate academies of art for
East Berlin
East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
and
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
in 1954. Those two separate academies merged in 1993 to form Berlin's present-day
Academy of Arts
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
.
People
Most artists were associated with the academy as members. Membership was an honorary distinction extended to prominent domestic Prussian artists (after unification, German artists) and selected foreign figures as well. A 'deliberative' body of senators was chosen from the membership – some elected, and some automatically included due to other rank.
The academy was not a school, although it had associations with educational institutions, notably the state school that evolved into the present-day
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...
.
Directors
*
Joseph Werner
Joseph Werner (22 June 1637 – 21 September 1710), known as the Younger to distinguish him from his painter father of the same name, was a Swiss painter, known for miniatures.
Joseph Werner the Younger became an artist of internatio ...
(16941710)
*
(1756?1785)
*
Bernhard Rode
Bernhard Rode (25 July 1725 28 June 1797) was a Prussian artist and engraver well known for portraying historical scenes and allegorical works. He knew most of the central figures in the Berlin Enlightenment as Friedrich Nicolai and Gotthold Le ...
(17851797)
*
Daniel Chodowiecki
Daniel Niklaus Chodowiecki (16 October 1726 – 7 February 1801) was a German painter and printmaker of Huguenot and Polish ancestry, who is most famous as an etcher. He spent most of his life in Berlin, and became the director of the Berlin Acad ...
(17971803)
*
Johann Gottfried Schadow
Johann Gottfried Schadow (20 May 1764 – 27 January 1850) was a German Prussian sculptor.
His most iconic work is the chariot on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, executed in 1793 when he was still only 29.
Biography
Schadow was born i ...
(18151850)
*
Anton von Werner
Anton Alexander von Werner (9 May 18434 January 1915) was a German painter known for his history paintings of notable political and military events in the Kingdom of Prussia.Fulbrook, Mary and John Breuilly (1997) ''German History Since 1800'' ...
(18751915)
*
Franz Heinrich Schwechten
Franz Heinrich Schwechten (12 August 1841 – 11 August 1924) was one of the most famous German architects of the Wilhelmine era, and contributed to the development of historicist architecture.
Life
Schwechten was born in Cologne, the son of a d ...
(19151918)
*
Max Liebermann
Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...
(19201932)
*
Max von Schillings
Max von Schillings (April 19, 1868 – July 24, 1933 in Berlin) was a German conductor, composer and theatre director. He was chief conductor at the Berlin State Opera from 1919 to 1925.
Schillings' opera ''Mona Lisa'' (1915) was internationally ...
(19321933)
History
1694 to 1799
The academy was founded to include painters, sculptors, and architects as members, which reflected the classical
unity of the arts
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...
ideal. The scope was expanded in 1704 to include "Mechanical Sciences". The academy's first director (president) was Swiss painter
Joseph Werner
Joseph Werner (22 June 1637 – 21 September 1710), known as the Younger to distinguish him from his painter father of the same name, was a Swiss painter, known for miniatures.
Joseph Werner the Younger became an artist of internatio ...
. In 1796, the Academy announced a competition for a monument in honour of
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
.
Friedrich Gilly
Friedrich David Gilly (16 February 1772 – 3 August 1800) was a German architect and the son of the architect David Gilly. His works are influenced by revolutionary architecture (''Revolutionsarchitektur''). Born in Altdamm, Pomerania, (today ...
designed a monumental temple in the style of revolutionary architecture (''Revolutionsarchitektur'') to be erected on
Leipziger Platz
Leipziger Platz is an octagonal square in the center of Berlin. It is located along Leipziger Straße just east of and adjacent to the Potsdamer Platz.
History
Layout and original architecture
The square with the shape of an octagon, initi ...
in Berlin. Today, the design is part of the collection of the
Kupferstichkabinett Berlin
The Kupferstichkabinett, or Museum of Prints and Drawings, is a prints museum in Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Berlin State Museums, and is located in the Kulturforum on Potsdamer Platz. It is the largest museum of graphic art in Germany, ...
.
Name changes:
* 1696–1704 ''Kurfürstliche Academie der Mahler-, Bildhauer- und Architectur-Kunst'' (Electoral Academy of the Arts of Painter, Sculptor and Architecture)
* 1704–1790 ''Königlich-Preussische Akademie der Künste und mechanischen Wissenschaften'' (Royal Prussian Academy of the Arts and Mechanical Sciences)
* 1790–1809 ''Königliche Akademie der bildenden Künste und mechanischen Wissenschaften zu Berlin'' (Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences of Berlin)
19th century
Longtime director and sculptor
Johann Gottfried Schadow
Johann Gottfried Schadow (20 May 1764 – 27 January 1850) was a German Prussian sculptor.
His most iconic work is the chariot on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, executed in 1793 when he was still only 29.
Biography
Schadow was born i ...
served from 1815 to 1850. In 1833 the academy added a fine arts division, and a music division in 1835.
Emil Fuchs studied at the Academy under
Fritz Schaper
Fritz (Friedrich) Schaper (31 July 1841, Alsleben – 29 November 1919, Berlin) was a German sculptor.
Life
He was orphaned at an early age, and was sent to Halle to receive instruction at the Francke Foundations. After being apprenticed as a ...
and
Anton von Werner
Anton Alexander von Werner (9 May 18434 January 1915) was a German painter known for his history paintings of notable political and military events in the Kingdom of Prussia.Fulbrook, Mary and John Breuilly (1997) ''German History Since 1800'' ...
, shortly before 1891.
[Se]
Commons category: Fritz Schaper
/ref>[Quoted on Tate website:]
Ronald Alley, ''Catalogue of the Tate Gallery's Collection of Modern Art other than Works by British Artists'', Tate Gallery and Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London 1981, pp.227–8 Otto Geyer
Karl Ludwig Otto Geyer (8 January 1843, Charlottenburg - March 1914, Charlottenburg) was a German sculptor. His brother was the architect, .
Life and work
His father, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Geyer, was an Archdeacon in the Evangelical Church. ...
studied there from 1859 to 1864. Sculptor Wilhelm Neumann-Torborg
Wilhelm Neumann-Torborg (born 24 August 1856 in Elberfeld; died 31 December 1917 in Elberfeld) was a German sculptor whose works are still well-known.
Biography
Wilhelm Neumann-Torborg grew up in Wuppertal, Germany, the son of a school headmast ...
studied at the academy from 1878 until 1885, under Otto Knille
Otto Knille (10 September 1832, Osnabrück - 7 April 1898, Merano) was a German history painter; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule.
Biography
His father, Justus Georg Knille (1803–1881), was an administrative official in Osnab ...
and Fritz Schaper
Fritz (Friedrich) Schaper (31 July 1841, Alsleben – 29 November 1919, Berlin) was a German sculptor.
Life
He was orphaned at an early age, and was sent to Halle to receive instruction at the Francke Foundations. After being apprenticed as a ...
. In 1885, he won the Academy's Rome Scholarship for his thesis, "The Judgment of Paris". Anna Gerresheim
Anna Louise Adolphine Eduardine Gerresheim (8 March 1852 – 1 December 1921) was a German landscape artist, portrait painter and etcher. She was among the founders of the artist's colony in Ahrenshoop on the Baltic Sea.
Life
Anna Gerresheim was ...
studied there from 1876 for four years in the "ladies class" under Karl Gussow
Karl Gussow (25 February 1843, Havelberg – 27 March 1907, Munich) was a German painter and university professor.
Life and work
His early inclination to art was encouraged by his family so, as soon as he completed his secondary schooling, he wa ...
. Oskar Frenzel
Oskar Frenzel (12 November 1855 – 15 May 1915) was a German landscape-artist, animal painter and lithographer.
Life
Frenzel was originally a lithographer. He became an animal and landscape painter in addition to his work as a lithographer f ...
studied there between 1884 and 1889 under Paul Friedrich Meyerheim
Paul Friedrich Meyerheim (13 July 1842 – 14 September 1915) was a German painter and graphic artist. He did portraits and landscapes, but is best known as a painter of animals.
Life
Paul Friedrich Meyerheim was born in Berlin on 13 July ...
and Eugen Bracht
Eugen Felix Prosper Bracht (3 June 1842 – 5 November 1921) was a German landscape painter.
Biography
Bracht was born in Morges, Waadt (near Lake Geneva in Switzerland) of German parents. His family later moved to Darmstadt, Germany, where ...
. He was from 1904 until his death a member of the Academy. Painter Friedrich Wachenhusen
Adolf Friedrich Wilhelm Wachenhusen (27 May 1859 – 2 May 1925) was a German landscape artist, draftsman and etcher. The focus of his work was on the countryside of his home region, Mecklenburg.
Life
At the urging of his father, a Schwerin mini ...
studied there in 1889 under Eugen Bracht
Eugen Felix Prosper Bracht (3 June 1842 – 5 November 1921) was a German landscape painter.
Biography
Bracht was born in Morges, Waadt (near Lake Geneva in Switzerland) of German parents. His family later moved to Darmstadt, Germany, where ...
.
Name changes:
* 1790–1809 ''Königliche Akademie der bildenden Künste und mechanischen Wissenschaften zu Berlin'' (Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences of Berlin)
* 1809–1875 ''Königlich Preussische Akademie der Künste'' (Royal Prussian Academy of the Arts)
* 1875–1882 ''Königlich Preussische Akademie der Künste zu Berlin'' (Royal Prussian Academy of the Arts of Berlin)
* 1882–1918 ''Königliche Akademie der Künste zu Berlin'' (Royal Academy of the Arts of Berlin)
20th century
In 1926 the academy added a ''Dichtkunst'' (Fine Poetry) division, a ''Dichtung'' (Poetry) division in 1932, and the German Academy of Poetry from the beginning of June 1933. From 1930 until his parting into exile in 1933, novelist Heinrich Mann
Luiz Heinrich Mann (; 27 March 1871 – 11 March 1950), best known as simply Heinrich Mann, was a German author known for his Social criticism, socio-political novels. From 1930 until 1933, he was president of the fine poetry division of the ...
was its president.
Painter and sculptor Paul Wallat studied there from 1902 to 1909 under (de) (1835–1904) and Carl Saltzmann
Carl Saltzmann (23 September 1847, Berlin - 14 January 1923, Potsdam) was a German marine and landscape painter.
Biography
He was a pupil of Hermann Eschke, then studied at Düsseldorf, and, after traveling through the Netherlands and Italy, ...
. On 29 December 1906 he received the award of the ''Ginsberg Foundation'' of the Berlin Academy. In 1920, Käthe Kollwitz
Käthe Kollwitz ( born as Schmidt; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945) was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture. Her most famous art cycles, including ''The Weavers'' and ''T ...
became the first woman elected to the Prussian Academy, but with the coming to power of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in 1933 she was expelled because of her beliefs and her art.
Name changes:
* 1882–1918 ''Königliche Akademie der Künste zu Berlin'' (Royal Academy of the Arts of Berlin)
* 1918–1926 ''Akademie der Künste zu Berlin'' (Academy of the Arts of Berlin)
* 1926–1931 ''Preußische Akademie der Künste zu Berlin'' (Prussian Academy of the Arts of Berlin)
* 1931–1954 ''Preussische Akademie der Künste'' (Prussian Academy of the Arts; disbanded)
References
Further reading
* ''„Die Kunst hat nie ein Mensch allein besessen“ – 300 Jahre Akademie der Künste und Hochschule der Künste.'' Ausstellung in der Akademie der Künste, Berlin 1996, Konzeption: Agnete von Specht, Hans Gerhard Hannesen, Bodo Baumunk. ''(in German)''
* Hans Gerhard Hannesen: ''Die Akademie der Künste in Berlin – Facetten einer 300jährigen Geschichte''. Akademie der Künste, Berlin 2005. ''(in German)''
* Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz: ''Max Liebermann – Jahrhundertwende.'' Ausstellung in der Alten Nationalgalerie. Berlin 1997. ''(in German)''
* Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: ''Kunst in Berlin 1648–1987.'' Ausstellung im Alten Museum. Henschelverlag, Berlin 1987. ''(in German)''
* Berlin Museum: ''Stadtbilder – Berlin in der Malerei vom 17. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart''. Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung und Verlag Willmuth Arenhövel, Berlin 1987. ''(in German)''
* Werner Durth, Günter Behnisch: ''Berlin. Pariser Platz. Neubau der Akademie der Künste.'' Jovis, Berlin 2005. ''(in German)''
{{Authority control
1694 establishments in Prussia
1955 disestablishments in Germany
Arts councils
Universities and colleges in Berlin
Culture in Berlin
Arts organizations established in the 17th century
1694 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
Organizations established in 1694
Organizations disestablished in 1955
Frederick I of Prussia