Category Archives: Artwork of the month

Artwork of the month, News, Object of the Month

Object of the Month: The Rectors’ Portraits – Tradition Formation in the GDR, Media Diversity in the Present Day

Object of the Month 12/2025

Many venerable universities have a picture gallery of professors or rectors. Berlin’s Friedrich-Wilhelm-Universität and Humboldt-Universität can also look back on a long line of rectors (later presidents). However, their pictorial representation (in contrast to the busts of scholars) only became established in the 1980s. In preparation for the university’s jubilee in 1985, Heinz Wagner’s portraits of Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Johannes Stroux set a clear tone: The first rector of the Berlin University in 1811/12 and the first rector after its reopening in 1946/47 were to represent the new self-image of Humboldt-Universität in the spirit of establishing tradition, leaving out both the National Socialist and late bourgeois past. The following rectors were also to be painted for the Senate Hall – only Hermann Dersch was removed from the list of proposals, as the lawyer had moved to the University of Cologne in the West in 1951.

In accordance with this selection, the design of the portraits was also politically approved. At first glance, the portraits appear quite different: some seated, some standing, with and without attributes, in action or at rest, almost all rectors wear the chain of office, but none wear a gown. The portrait of Karl-Heinz Wirzberger, whose term of office ran from 1967 to 1976, is an example of this being a deliberate choice.

Painted portrait of a man wearing glasses and a tie at a desk, looking up at the viewer from behind some papers in front of him.
Günther Brendel, Karl-Heinz Wirzberger, oil on hardboard, 1985. In addition to his work as a professor for English studies and long-standing rector of the HU, Wirzberger was a member of the Academy of Sciences, the SED and the Volkskammer (People's Chamber) of the GDR

Originally, Wirzberger’s portrait was to be painted by the well-known Leipzig painter Werner Tübke. In keeping with his working method – he often relied on historical references, both thematically and pictorially – he wanted to depict the rector in his academic gown. However, the request to borrow the regalia from the Traditionskabinett (Tradition Cabinet) was denied by the Cultural Commission of the SED-Kreisleitung (District Leadership) and the University History Research Centre. The reasoning cited not only the abandonment of gowns following the third university reform in 1968, but also the need to avoid misunderstandings that could have negative publicity. Otherwise, given the differences of opinion that still exist today about the decisions made at that time, the portrayal could lead to interpretations that are not in line with the measures taken at the time (HU, Custody, letter from Walter Mohrmann to Rector Helmut Klein, 14 December 1982 (carbon copy)). This was also stipulated for the other portraits. In particular, the brushwork of most of the portraits – such as those of Walter Friedrich by Heinrich Tessmer (1984), Werner Hartke by Arno Rink (1987) and Kurt Erich Schröder by Walter Womacka (1985) – as well as the framing and positioning of the subjects make the series of rectors appear lively and individual.
However, it is not immediately apparent that the English scholar Wirzberger is depicted as a rector. The portrait appears to be a vivid snapshot: Wirzberger, wearing a dark suit and tie, looks up from his work at the viewer, the document he has just been working on still in his hands and ready to be placed on the pile of completed documents. The desk at which he sits separates him from the viewer’s space and at the same time forms a spatial unity with the background. With this industrious pose, the portrait stands out from the other, much more representative rector portraits of the 1980s.

Even after the end of the GDR, the portrait series continued – now with portraits of university presidents, whereby the subjects themselves were allowed to choose an artist and the manner of their representation. Marlis Dürkop-Leptihn was the first woman to hold this office, and the sociologist chose a woman artist to paint her portrait (2006). With Ruth Tesmar, long-time professor of artistic-aesthetic practice at the HU and director of the Menzel-Dach, a change in media also took place – collage with photos and writing on glass as the image support replaced the classic oil painting and conveyed a versatile personality and a multi-layered office.

Sabine Curio, on the other hand, takes us into the private sphere with her portrait of Jürgen Mlynek (2009). The physicist and rector from 2000 to 2005 stands at a desk in front of a patio door with a view of greenery. Mlynek, seen in profile, is engrossed in writing or editing a text and does not notice the viewer, giving the impression of a glimpse into his private working environment. The diversity of media continues with the photographs by Herlinde Koelbl, which the last presidents, Christoph Markschies (in black and white) and Sabine Kunst (in colour), chose for their portraits.

The image shows a colour collage with photos of Marlies Dürkop-Leptihn and Hannah Arendt, as well as manuscripts and edited photo excerpts from Berlin University and its collections.
Ruth Tesmar, Marlis Dürkop-Leptihn, mixed media/stained glass, 2006
Photograph of a painted portrait of Jürgen Mlynek standing at a writing desk in front of a door with a view of greenery.
Sabine Curio, Jürgen Mlynek, oil on linen, 2009

Even though the collection of portraits of rectors and presidents is not extensive, it nevertheless conveys the image of a vibrant university history with a promising future.

Author: Christina Kuhli

Artwork of the month, News, Object of the Month

Object of the Month: Humboldt diverse – Gerald Matzner’s terracotta busts and the idiosyncrasy of form

Object of the Month 11/2025

Since 2009, the HU’s portfolio of Humboldt busts has been supplemented by modern adaptations by Austrian sculptor Gerald Matzner (1943-2018). From a series of 15 busts of Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt, which Matzner created based on models by Christian Daniel Rauch (1851) and Bertel Thorvaldsen (1808), Der abgewickelte Humboldt (The Unravelled Humboldt) and Die Brüder Humboldt (The Humboldt Brothers) were acquired for the university’s art collection. In accordance with the title of these busts from the ‘Metamorphoses’ series, the brothers are clearly removed from the original portraits. The thin-walled clay sculptures, each with its own pedestal, were painted after firing, and signatures and dates can be found on their surfaces.

A photograph of Alexander von Humboldt's bust on a pedestal in front of a wall
after Christian Daniel Rauch, Alexander von Humboldt, painted plaster, 2002 (copy of the original from 1851), Inv. No. P 182
Photograph of a bust of Wilhelm von Humboldt on a pedestal, viewed at a slight angle in front of a wall.
after Bertel Thorvaldsen, Wilhelm von Humboldt, plaster, 2001 (copy of the original from 1808), inv. no. P 179
Photo of a colourful terracotta bust on a pedestal in front of a wall
Gerald Matzner, untitled (The Braided Humboldt), terracotta, 1993, inv. no. P 200

Eight additional busts were added to the art collection through a donation from the artist’s widow. The spectrum of techniques used, from reshaping and wrapping in ribbons to adding attributes until the model is almost unrecognisable, gives an insight into both the diverse biographical and scientific life of the Humboldts and the imagination and expressiveness of the artist, who was trained in Vienna and Berlin and worked for many years as a freelance artist in Berlin. Not only are the subjects closely associated with the university, Matzner began his series of sculptures in 1990 – at a time when the liquidation of Humboldt Universität was on the agenda. It is, so to speak, an artistic commitment to the two scholars and their ideals, but also to the tradition of Humboldt Universität and its continuation into the present and future. Matzner himself was drawn to Berlin by the student revolts of 1968. He worked primarily in terracotta, although in the 1980s he began to produce larger formats for public spaces, including the Corinthian column for the Rostlaube building at Freie Universität Berlin and the series of pocket pyramids.

The titles alone – such as Humboldt bucht eine Reise (Humboldt books a trip), Im Insektenschwarm (In the swarm of insects), Nach Worten ringend (Struggling for words), Die Vermessung des Alexander von Humboldt (The measurement of Alexander von Humboldt), Humboldt mit Reisetasche (Humboldt with travel bag) or Abgewickelter Humboldt (Unravelled Humboldt) – refer to the creative and sometimes ironic treatment of these great men. The Humboldts are populated with plants, animals such as frogs and beetles, but also with bags, telephone receivers and garden gnomes. Amusing, sometimes sombre, not always immediately aesthetically appealing, the busts are intended to stimulate reflection. What do the scientific curiosity and industriousness of the Humboldts mean to us today? Which of their achievements do we recognise in the narrative portraits, and what impact do they (still) have? Furthermore, the alienations refer us back to ourselves; Matzner’s distortions are ‘the “natural cast” of our civilisation, the portrait […] of our world, frightening and bitterly amusing’ (Sperlich 1991, p. 24).

Photo of a colourful terracotta bust with telephone receivers wrapped around its head
Gerald Matzner, Abgewickelter Humboldt (Unravelled Humboldt), terracotta, circa 1990, Inv. No. P 243
Photo of a terracotta bust populated with dwarves and measuring instruments
Gerald Matzner, Vermessung des Alexander von Humboldt (Surveying Alexander von Humboldt), terracotta, circa 1990, Inv. No. P 339

The fact that some of the busts are located in the so-called Humboldt Cabinet in Adlershof, a technological science centre that emerged long after the Humboldts’ time and has had an even greater impact on today’s world, would have pleased both the subjects and the artist.

Author: Christina Kuhli

Literature:
Sperlich, Martin: Gerald Matzner oder der Stil „Rustique“ oder das Irdene und das Irdische des Naturabgusses, in: Die ganze Welt ist rötlich braun. Skulpturen von Gerald Matzner. Werkverzeichnis, Berlin 1991, pp. 19-24.

Artwork of the month, News

Object of the Month: Define yourself – subversive art of the 80s

Object of the Month 08/2025

Visibility and invisibility are intertwined in many ways in this work of art. Although it is located in the main university building, it is somewhat hidden away in the lounge in front of the counselling room 2249A. Originally, only a limited university audience could see it, but it was in a place that was closely linked to its history – even though this history was mostly temporary.
The artwork is the result of several art actions from 1983 and 1984, when the artist Erhard Monden and Eugen Blume (then a research assistant at the Berlin State Museums) staged the action ‘Sender–Empfänger’ (Transmitter–Receiver) in the GDR and Joseph Beuys did the same in the FRG, later revisiting the action in a new work. Both the crossing of borders and the expansion of the concept of art gave the action a political dimension – and it was therefore highly suspect for the GDR leadership.

On the last day of the IXth Art Exhibition in Dresden, 2 April 1983, between 12 noon and 1 p.m., a fictitious transmission of information between East and West took place on the Elbe meadows there. Eugen Blume, who graduated from Humboldt University in 1981 with a thesis on Beuys’ concept of art, describes the process as follows: “For the action, I deliberately used the black boards so typical of Beuys, on which I noted the ‘broadcast’ from Düsseldorf. Monden worked with the materials typical of his actions. Three trees served as antennas, to which we were connected by a rope.‘ (Blume 1992, p. 148.) Six blank panels for Beuys’ broadcast and six panels with the inscription „Bestimme dich selbst! Sei ein Künstler, indem du dich als freies kreatives Wesen erkennst! Ich bin Erhard Monden 02.04.1982. Kunst = Mensch = Kreativität = Freiheit. Adaption Joseph Beuys.“ (“Define yourself! Be an artist by recognising yourself as a free creative being! I am Erhard Monden 02.04.1982. Art = Human = Creativity = Freedom. Adaptation Joseph Beuys.”) were displayed. The other boards were also filled with Beuys’ terminology during the course of the action. Monden then redrew his boards. It was an attempt to introduce ’social sculpture‘ in the GDR as well, in a ’parallel action across borders’. It was also a protest against the exclusion of action art from the official art world.

The artist Erhard Monden continued to engage with Joseph Beuys’ art and artistic concepts beyond this campaign. He saw true realism in Beuys’ ‘social sculpture.’ Beuys’ criticism of any form of determination (through production conditions, social constraints) made him suspect not only in the GDR, where he was considered not only an artist but also politically extremely problematic.

From 2 to 8 April 1984, the campaign continued in Berlin with materials from Dresden and discussions. Beuys, who was supposed to be there on the last day, was denied entry – he was ‘considered a dangerous political figure whose influence on the art scene in the GDR should be prevented’ (Blume 1992, p. 149). The mural (stencil spray painting on newspaper and photography) remained a document of this action. It is both double dated (by the date on the newspaper page that serves as the painting surface and the inscription in the middle) and signed (in the centre and bottom right). It conveys a message of self-determination and free creative development against the backdrop of a GDR state that was also restrictive in cultural matters. The connection between art, people, creativity and freedom is explained in the lower third as an adaptation of Joseph Beuys’ beliefs. His works and his credo ‘Every human being is an artist’ were also controversial in the FRG during his lifetime.

Art poster for the campaign ‘Define yourself’ with text over a newspaper and photos at the bottom.
Erhard Monden, Bestimme dich selbst! (Define Yourself), 1982, mixed media

The art object was installed in Room 3071 in the main building, which was then used as a lecture hall for art historians, and was thus present during classes held in this room. Although the subject of art history was subject to planned, ideology-driven research, Monden’s art action, which dealt with Beuys’ expanded concept of art, was able to take place unhindered. The work thus also bears witness to the possibilities of an officially Marxist-Leninist art history that nevertheless understood how to keep its eyes and methods open to current scientific discourses.

In 2010, it was removed due to construction work in the main building and reinstalled in the foyer of R 2249 A in 2018.

Author: Christina Kuhli

 

Literature:

Eugen Blume: Joseph Beuys und die DDR – der Einzelne als Politikum (Joseph Beuys and the GDR – the individual as a political issue), in: Jenseits der Staatskultur. Traditionen autonomer Kunst in der DDR (Beyond State Culture. Traditions of Autonomous Art in the GDR), edited by Gabriele Mutscher and Rüdiger Thomas, Munich/Vienna 1992, pp. 137–154;
Eugen Blume: Laborismus gegen Kapitalismus und Kommunismus im Dunkeln: Joseph Beuys, in: Klopfzeichen. Kunst und Kultur der 80er Jahre in Deutschland, exhibition catalogue Leipzig/ Essen 2002-2003, Leipzig 2002, pp. 45-51;
Christof Baier: “… befreite Kunstwissenschaft”. Die Jahre 1968 bis 1988, in: In der Mitte Berlins. 200 Jahre Kunstgeschichte an der Humboldt-Universität, ed. by Horst Bredekamp and Adam S. Labuda, Berlin 2010, pp. 373–390;
Eugen Blume: Es gibt Leute, die sind nur in der DDR gut – Joseph Beuys 1985, in: Die Unsichtbare Skulptur. Der Erweiterte Kunstbegriff nach Joseph Beuys, ed. by Heinrich Theodor Grütter, Rosa Schmitt-Neubauer et al., exhibition catalogue Essen 2021, Cologne 2021, pp. 217–223;
Mathilde Arnoux: In search of true realism. Eugen Blume and Erhard Monden with Joseph Beuys in the GDR, in: Art studies quarterly 55 (2022), no. 2, pp. 4–13.