One Cannot Paint with Religion - Adolf Hölzel in Ulm
On the occasion of the 2017 Reformation Anniversary, Museum Ulm cooperates with the Protestant St. Paul’s Church, devoting a studio exhibition to the painter Adolf Hölzel from Stuttgart (1853—1934) and his creative work in Ulm. Built in 1908-1910, the St. Paul’s Church houses the only personal mural painting of Adolf Hölzel, one of the most important pioneers of Abstract Art in Germany. Hölzel furnished the apse of the church with a monumental representation of the crucified Christ. Both the architecture and the interior corresponded with this mural painting which formed the central focus of the church room. A redesign of St. Paul’s Church in the 1960s significantly intervened in the overall artistic concept of the interior. Adolf Hölzel’s mural was partly painted over and changed in its impact as well. The exhibition at St. Paul’s Church shows the change in space and interior, points out the conservation related approach and presents new perceptions of Hölzel’s painting technique. At the same time, a studio exhibition at Museum Ulm honours the mural and the preserved preliminary studies in the context of Hölzel’s artistic oeuvre and his theoretical notes. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication.