Hans Purrmann – connected with the Palatinate

Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern
December 6, 2022 – April 2, 2023

Hans Purrmann – many people will be familiar with the artist, who was born in Speyer in 1880, as a painter, draughtsman and printmaker. The Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern has an important collection of 20 paintings, 40 prints and 29 drawings by him. However, the fact that Purrmann was also a very diligent letter writer is still largely unknown. Previously unpublished 18 original Purrmann letters lay dormant in the mpk’s depots. They come from a correspondence he had in the 1950s with Willibald Gänger, then SPD member of the state parliament and managing director of the artists’ association “Pfälzische Sezession”.

To mark the publication by Sören Fischer of the new edition of letters “Hans Purrmann and Willibald Gänger. An exchange of letters on the art and culture of the 1950s”, the mpk is showing the cabinet exhibition “Hans Purrmann – connected with the Palatinate”. In addition to paintings by Purrmann, it also brings together works by Rolf Müller-Landau, Emy Roeder, Werner vom Scheidt and Theo Siegle. Examples of the Purrmann letters will also be on display.

The publication was produced in close collaboration with the Hans Purrmann Archive and was supported by the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, the Kulturstiftung Speyer and the Hans Purrmann Stiftung.

The opening took place as part of the “Klangfarben” series of events. The Friends of the mpk, in cooperation with the Hans Purrmann Archive, invited guests to a letter reading by Madeleine Giese and Rainer Furch. The ICstrings duo was able to be won over for the music. Dr. Felix Billeter spoke as a guest.

Curated by Dr. Sören Fischer and Dr. Annette Reich

Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern
Museum Square 1
67657 Kaiserslautern