Karl Hagemeister

Berlin, November 11, 2019 (kk) - Karl Hagemeister's art is affective, suffused with light, organic and atmospheric. Recent excellent auction results deliver proof of the timeless quality of the works from the Brandenburg landscape painters and give Ketterer Kunst reason for an exhibition. In cooperation with the 'Potsdam Museum - Forum für Kunst und Geschichte', Germany's leading auction house hosts the exhibition "Karl Hagemeister - Bewegte Stimmung" at its Berlin representation as of February 29, 2020.

"The close cooperation with the Potsdam Museum is a great pleasure and at the same time accolade of our commitment for Karl Hagemeister. The exhibition is going to elate art lovers in the capital", says Robert Ketterer, owner of Ketterer Kunst.

Dr. Jutta Götzmann, director of the Potsdam Museum, is likewise taken with the partnership with the renowned auction house: "I am particularly grateful for the focus that Ketterer Kunst puts on Hagemeister's pastel works in this exhibition. This is the first time ever that the entire range of the wonderful œuvre of this exceptional artist can be presented in unprecedentedly comprehensive exhibitions in both Berlin and Potsdam."

Karl Hagemeister was not only a pioneer in modern landscape painting but also one of the most important representatives of German Impressionism. In 1898 he and a couple of fellow artists, among them Max Liebermann, founded the Berlin Secession.

Karl Hagemeister captures the vast diversity of nature like no other artist and succeeds in expressing its essence and soul. He explains: "When I go out into nature, and even if it is a spot I know very well, I can't just sit down and start to paint. I always need a little while to soak up the surroundings and to take hold of the atmosphere. Once I have an idea of its basic tone, I can render it as the predominant color chord onto the canvas. And this grounding remains dominant and provides the foundation for the picture."* In order to make the special atmosphere perceptible, to create an "affective atmosphere", to express nature's constant changes and to overcome the static character of the image carrier, the artist developed a very close relation with the pastel technique: "(...) I made nothing but pastels over the years, as they allow me to render the motion of air and light like no other technique."**

The exhibition "Karl Hagemeister - Bewegte Stimmung" will be opened by Dr. Simone Wiechers, exhibition curator and Ketterer Kunst representative on February 28 at 7 pm. In the following Dr. Jutta Götzmann, director of the Potsdam Museum and curator of the Karl Hagemeister exhibition in Potsdam and Dr. Hendrikje Warmt (Visual Arts Department at the Potsdam Museums and director of the Karl Hagemeister Archive & Catalog Raisonné, Berlin) will make contributions. Over the course of the exhibition additional supporting events will be hosted by both cooperation partners.