Am Wall 207
28195 Bremen
Germany
Norbert Schwontkowski. Some of My Secrets
(March 21 to August 2, 2020)
Norbert Schwontkowski (b. 1949, Bremen. d. 2013) applied his inexhaustible pictorial inventiveness both to fundamental questions of the human condition and to the absurdity of daily life. He possessed a virtuoso command of insinuation and the surreal. His humorous images always appear to be poised at the edge of an abyss. Some of My Secrets, a major exhibition of Schwontkowski’s work, brings together around eighty paintings and over forty sketchbooks from his estate and from collections in Germany and abroad. Norbert Schwontkowski studied painting at the University of the Arts in Bremen and the University of Fine Arts Hamburg. Following teaching positions in Hamburg, Bremen and Greifswald and a position as a guest lecturer in Braunschweig, he was appointed professor of painting at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg in 2005.
In cooperation with the Kunstmuseum Bonn and the Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
Prize of the Böttcherstraße in Bremen 2020
(August 29 to November 1, 2020)
The EUR 30,000 Prize of the Böttcherstraße in Bremen, one of the most important awards for contemporary art in Germany, will be presented for the 47th time in 2020. It honours living visual artists in the German-speaking area for their outstanding contribution to cutting-edge contemporary art. Ten distinguished curators each independently recommend an artist whose works will be presented in an exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bremen. Over the course of the exhibition, a renowned international jury will determine the prize winner. Over the past years, recipients have included Arne Schmitt (2018), Emeka Ogboh (2016), Nina Beier (2014), Daniel Knorr (2012), Thea Djordjadze (2009), Ulla von Brandenburg (2007), Clemens von Wedemeyer (2005), Tino Sehgal (2003), Olafur Eliasson (1997) and Wolfgang Tillmans (1995).
The Picasso Connection: The Artist and his Gallerist
(November 21, 2020 to March 21, 2021)
The Kunsthalle Bremen holds one of the most important collections of Pablo Picasso’s printed works in Germany. Like no other artist of the twentieth century, Picasso embraced the diversity of graphic printing techniques and substantially expanded them through artistic modification and experimentation. This exhibition examines for the first time the unique history of the Bremen collection. The Kunsthalle was one of the first German museums to purchase works by this artist after 1945. The acquisitions came about through the efforts of the Bremen art dealer Michael Hertz, who was the exclusive representative of Picasso’s printed works in Germany—a visionary at a time when Picasso’s work was still controversial. With his fine-tuned instincts, Hertz placed the works on the market where they soon were coveted by museums and collectors, thanks to his dedication. The Kunsthalle expanded its holdings of Picasso prints at the time to create one of the most extensive collections in Germany. This collection gave the museum its modern face, a reputation which continues to this day. Especially Picasso’s large and colourful lithographs and linocuts breathed new life into these media and reached new heights of graphic expression.
Karin Hollweg Prize Winners: Mattia Bonafini/Luisa Eugeni
(December 5, 2020 to February 28, 2021)
Since 2019 the performance and video artist Luisa Eugeni (b. 1987) and the composer and musician Mattia Bonafini (b. 1980) have jointly been developing interdisciplinary projects as the artistic duo Sine Umbra. The spatial multimedia installations of the Italian artists appeal to all the senses. Sine Umbra are currently developing a new project with the working title Expire. With reference to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1975 essay “On the Disappearance of the Fireflies,” the project deals with the profound changes in Italian society and landscape during the 20th century. During three journeys through different regions of Italy the artists will compile the comprehensive video and sound material for their installation. The results of the project will be presented in a comprehensive multimedia exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bremen.
Opening Hours
Tuesday 10am–9pm
Wednesday–Sunday 10am–5pm (to 6pm during the Picasso exhibition)
