Friends of the modern age
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff – Emy Roeder – Hans Purrmann

Museum Purrmann-Haus Speyer
September 30, 2023 – April 1, 2024

Friendship is one of the great themes of humanity. Especially in the first half of the 20th century, which was characterized by historical and social upheaval, friendship became an existential value in society.

The special exhibition “Friends of Modernism” at the Museum Purrmann-Haus in Speyer not only shows numerous great works by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884-1976), Emy Roeder (1890-1971) and Hans Purrmann (1880-1966), but also tells stories of different lives, contemporary events and true friendship.

On display are paintings and watercolors by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, one of the co-founders of the Dresden artists’ group “Brücke”. His unmistakable, colorful painting style made him one of the most important protagonists of German Expressionism. His works enter into a dialog with the expressive sculptures by Emy Roeder, one of the first female sculptors of modernism, and the powerful paintings in the spirit of colorism by Hans Purrmann, the co-initiator and chairman of the “Académie Matisse”.

High-caliber loans from the Museum Wiesbaden and the Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg are complemented by paintings from the collection of the Museum Purrmann-Haus. As outstanding representatives of modern art and impressive personalities of the early 20th century, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Emy Roeder and Hans Purrmann created works of timeless presence and compositional power that are still captivating today.

The exhibition catalog is available at the Museum Purrmann-Haus in Speyer from 29.9.2023:
Friends of the modern age. Karl Schmidt-Rottluff – Emy Roeder – Hans Purrmann
Edited by Maria Leitmeyer, with contributions by Felix Billeter, Roman Zieglgänsberger and the editor, Speyer 2023, 12,- €

Museum Purrmann-Haus
Kleine Greifengasse 14
67346 Speyer