Hochschule Für Grafik Und Buchkunst Leipzig
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The Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (HGB) or Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig is one of the oldest art schools in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, dating back to 1764. The academy has four colleges specializing in
fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
,
graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
,
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
and
new media art New media art includes artworks designed and produced by means of new media, electronic media technologies. It comprises virtual art, computer graphics, computer animation, digital art, interactive art, sound art, Internet art, video games, robo ...
with around 500 students. It is the home of two notable modern art movements, the so-called Leipzig School and
New Leipzig School The New Leipzig School () is a movement in German painting, centred in the city of Leipzig after the German reunification. The usage and origins of this term are debated. History and characteristics The Leipzig School (painting), Alte Leipziger S ...
.


History

On 6 February 1764,
Prince Francis Xavier of Saxony Franz Xavier of Saxony () (25 August 1730 – 21 June 1806) was a Saxon prince and member of the House of Wettin. He was the fourth but second surviving son of Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and Maria Josepha of Austria. Li ...
became the founding administrator of a new painting academy, in the name of his nephew, Prince-Elector
Frederick Augustus I of Saxony Frederick Augustus I (; ; ; 23 December 1750 – 5 May 1827) was a member of the House of Wettin who reigned as the last Elector of Saxony from 1763 to 1806 (as Frederick Augustus III) and as the first King of Saxony from 1806 to 1827. He was al ...
, who was still a minority. The institution was initially subordinate to the
Dresden Academy of Fine Arts The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (German language, German ''Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden''), often abbreviated HfBK Dresden or simply HfBK, is a vocational university of visual arts located in Dresden, Germany. The present institutio ...
. The first director was the painter Adam Friedrich Oeser, who remained in this position until his death in 1799. The first premises were established in the city center in the autumn of 1764, in the ''Leipzig Amtshaus'', and in the summer of 1765, they moved to the west wing of the current Leipzig Town Hall on Pleissenburg. The following autumn,
Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
, who was interested in painting as well as law, was a student there; Oeser noted him as one of the most gifted students. They remained friends. Later, the painting school developed and opened up to courses in drawing and architecture.Willy Oskar Dressler (Ed.): Dresslers Kunstjahrbuch, 7th volume, Rostock 1913, p. 327f., in German Around 1835, the institution officially took the name "Leipzig Academy of Fine Arts" (''Akademie der bildenden Künste''). The director surrounded himself with a professor of architecture and two teachers of freehand drawing. The lessons were, at this time, free. Between 1863 and 1871, the school was reorganized. The architecture department was temporarily abolished. The new director, Ludwig Nieper (1826-1906), who served for thirty years, brought about further major structural changes. From 1876, the institution was renamed the "Royal Academy of Fine and Applied Arts" (''Königliche Kunstakademie und Kunstgewerbeschule''). In 1893, a department of creative photography was established, something quite unprecedented at the time. Nieper then closed the architectural arts department, and in 1896, the sculpture department. He initiated the construction of a new and imposing building on Wächterstrasse, where the academy is currently located. In 1900, after Nieper's departure, the school was renamed the "Royal Academy of Graphic Arts and Books" (''Königliche Akademie für graphische Künste und Buchgewerbe''): Leipzig was historically and at that time the site of the world 's largest book and publishing trade fair. Since 1897, the sculptor, painter and graphic artist
Max Klinger Max Klinger (18 February 1857 – 5 July 1920) was a German artist who produced significant work in painting, sculpture, prints and graphics, as well as writing a treatise articulating his ideas on art and the role of graphic arts and printmakin ...
(1857-1920) had taught there. The painter Philippine Wolff-Arndt (1849–1940) convinced director Max Seliger to accept women into her academy, which in 1905 became the first art school in Germany to accept female students. After the fall of the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
and the disappearance of the
Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...
, the academy was renamed ''Staatliche Akademie für graphische Künste und Buchgewerbe'' ("State Academy of Graphic Arts and Books"). By 1938, it was the third largest school in the
Reich ( ; ) is a German word whose meaning is analogous to the English word " realm". The terms and are respectively used in German in reference to empires and kingdoms. In English usage, the term " Reich" often refers to Nazi Germany, also ca ...
in terms of student numbers, after the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the
Academy of Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. On 26 April 1947, the academy was reopened under the current name "Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig" (''Hochschule für Graphik und Buchkunst Leipzig'', abbreviated HGB) in the building erected in 1896 at Wächterstrasse 11. From 1946 to 1949, Walter Arnold was a professor there. From 1951, Albert Kapr (1918-1995) taught
typography Typography is the art and technique of Typesetting, arranging type to make written language legibility, legible, readability, readable and beauty, appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, Point (typogra ...
and book crafts there. In the 1970s, students from the academy founded the Leipziger Schule movement; the HGB gradually took on a national and international dimension, notably thanks to new generations of artists such as Wolfgang Mattheuer, Bernhard Heisig,
Werner Tübke Werner Tübke (30 July 1929 in Schönebeck, Germany – 27 May 2004 in Leipzig, Germany) was a German painter, best known for his monumental Early Bourgeois Revolution in Germany, Peasants' War Panorama located in Bad Frankenhausen. Associated wi ...
, Arno Rink, Sighard Gille and Ursula Arnold. After the
fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (, ) on 9 November in German history, 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, marked the beginning of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain, as East Berlin transit restrictions we ...
, the Federal Law of 10 April 1992 relating to the status of public universities, confirms the school in its mission, centered on graphic and visual arts. Between 2005 and 2014,
Neo Rauch Neo Rauch (; born 18 April 1960) is a German artist whose paintings mine the intersection of his personal history with the politics of industrial alienation. His work reflects the influence of socialist realism, and owes a debt to Surrealists ...
, an artist of international stature, was a professor at the HGB, which also included Clemens von Wedemeyer and Heribert C. Ottersbach.


Facilities

The Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig (HGB) is housed in a historic building located at Wächterstraße 11 in Leipzig. The main building, constructed in 1896, serves as the central hub for the academy's academic and administrative activities. It is equipped with various specialized workshops and studios that support the institution's focus on fine arts and design. The academy provides facilities for disciplines such as painting, printmaking, photography, media art, and book design. These include workshops for letterpress printing, artistic offset printing, lithography, and other traditional and contemporary techniques. Additionally, the HGB maintains a gallery space for exhibitions and a specialized academic library that supports research and study in art and related fields. The main building offers barrier-free access via the Grassistraße entrance through the inner courtyard. A barrier-free restroom is located in the basement, accessible by elevator. Opening hours during the lecture period are Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 00:30, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. During lecture-free weeks, the building is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 22:00, and Saturday from 12:00 to 17:00.


Study

The Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig (HGB) offers academic programs in the fields of fine arts and design. The primary degree conferred is the Diplom, a traditional German higher education qualification. The HGB also offers a Master of Arts (M.A.) program.


Diploma Programs

The HGB provides four main Diplom programs: * Book Design / Graphic Design * Photography * Painting / Printmaking * Media Art Each program is structured into a two-year foundational course followed by a three-year main course. The foundational course focuses on developing technical, artistic, and theoretical skills, while the main course allows for specialization within the chosen field. Students engage in individual and group instruction, practical work, workshops, and exhibitions.


Master's Program

The HGB offers a Master of Arts program titled Cultures of the Curatorial, which focuses on curatorial practices and theory.


Meisterschüler*innen Program

Graduates of the Diplom programs may apply for the Meisterschüler*innen program, a postgraduate course aimed at further developing artistic practice. This program typically spans four semesters and involves close mentorship by a professor.


Additional Offerings

The HGB also hosts the Academy for Transcultural Exchange (AtA), a program initiated in 2016 to provide art and design education opportunities for individuals with refugee backgrounds.


Notable Alumni


See also

* Architecture of Leipzig - Italian Neorenaissance regarding the main building of the academy


External links

* * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hochschule fur Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...