To mark the anniversary, Ben Willikens' ceiling fresco "Leipziger Firmament" (Heavens of Leipzig) is being inaugurated in the main hall. This is a gift from the artist, born in 1939 in Leipzig, and Max Weishaupt GmbH. The museum looks forward to celebrating with the people of Leipzig and guests, providing a festival programme and free entry on the weekend of 6 and 7 December.
History of the museum
The original museum was built on Augustusplatz in 1858 following plans by the Munich architect Ludwig Lange. In 1886 an extension was already needed; this was created by the city's master architect, Hugo Licht. In 1937, many of the museum's works of art were forcibly removed as part of the National Socialist campaign against "Degenerate Art". In the night from 3 to 4 December 1943 it was then destroyed by bombs, though almost all of the art collections had been evacuated beforehand. In 1952, the museum then moved into the building previously housing the Supreme Court. After German reunification, however, that building was destined for the Supreme Administrative Court, and in 1996 the city council passed a resolution to construct a new museum. Before the lights went on in Katharinenstraße, however, another move was on the cards, with the collection moving into temporary accommodation at the Handelshof on Grimmaische Straße. In 2000, everything came together: the foundation stone was laid for the new building, and four years later the opening was celebrated. Today, 37 members of staff are employed here. The director, Dr Hans-Werner Schmidt, is proud of his museum: "The generously spacious exhibition rooms bring out the works of art, especially in combination with the different angles from which you see them and the views of the city outside."
Important exhibitions
In the ten years of its existence, the museum has already put on a great number of significant exhibitions. In 2008 the Gunter Sachs exhibition "Art is Female" raised a furore. In 2010 Neo Rauch had his first major retrospective here: "Companion". In 2011, "Leipzig. Photography since 1839" was the first joint project involving the three city museums Grassi Museum of Applied Arts, Stadtgeschichtliches Museum (Leipzig city history) and the Museum of Fine Arts. In 2013, the year celebrating Wagner, an extensive comparison of three Saxon artists' work was put together in the exhibition "Creators of Worlds. Richard Wagner, Max Klinger, Karl May. With rooms by rosalie". And this year the exhibition "Bernini. Inventor of Baroque Rome" has just begun and is attracting a lot of attention.
New "Leipziger Firmament" ceiling fresco
The new ceiling fresco "Leipziger Firmament" (Heavens of Leipzig) is also sure to draw plenty of interest. At 462 square metres in size, it will be a real eye-catcher in the museum café. Director Schmidt is delighted: "In creating this incredible piece, Ben Willikens, who experienced the night of bombing in December 1943 in Leipzig, has summed up all his artistic work, filled with a lifetime of personal memories." Willikens himself explains that as he created this impressive ceiling fresco he had in his mind a visual encyclopaedia of all his works. It is a worthy gift for Leipzig.
Festival programme
5 December
6 p.m.: Opening; Sachsen Bank 2014 art award
6 December
3 p.m.: Discussion with the artist Ben Willikens and with Hans-Werner Schmidt
4-6 p.m.: Short architecture tours
8 p.m.: Nick Hornby's "NippleJesus" (theatre piece)
7 December
10.30 a.m.-noon: A fun introduction to the new museum building for children age 4 to 6
10.30 a.m.: Birthday serenade for Bernini
11 a.m.: Discussion: 10 years of the Bühler-Brockhaus donation
12 a.m.-5 p.m.: Friends of the museum show their favourite pieces
1.30-3.30 p.m.: A fun introduction to the new museum building for children age 7 to 12
3 p.m.: Discussion with the artist Margret Hoppe and with Philipp Freytag
Note:
On 4 December the museum will be closing at 4 p.m.