Purrmann SEEWEIT

Galerie Bodenseekreis, Meersburg – Museum Langenargen – Galerie in der Lände Kressbronn
July 14 – November 5, 2023

“Purrmann SEEWEIT” is the name of the exhibition cooperation along the northern shore of Lake Constance. With the Galerie Bodenseekreis Meersburg, the Kunstmuseum Langenargen and the Galerie in der Lände Kressbronn, three important art galleries in the region are joining forces for the first time. They pay tribute to the painter Hans Purrmann and his wife, the artist Mathilde Vollmoeller-Purrmann. From July, a whole “Purrmann cosmos” can be experienced on Lake Constance. The opening of the exhibition in Meersburg on July 14 will be the “starting signal”.

Inspired by Henri Matisse, Hans Purrmann devoted himself to color. His oeuvre is of astonishingly constant development, although his life was by no means tranquil: Among other things, he lived through two world wars. In 1919, he acquired a fisherman’s house in Langenargen – the idyllic landscape inspired him to create a significant part of his work.

“The beautiful old man“, as Purrmann was called by a colleague, is on display at the Langenargen Art Museum. His striking physiognomy inspired artists such as Rudolf Grossmann, Gerhard Marcks, Emy Roeder and Gunter Böhmer. The portrayed Purrmann cannot be separated from the portraitist: This is demonstrated by selected paintings, works on paper and sculptures, including poignant late self-portraits.

“Summer by the lake” can be experienced with Purrmann’s cheerful Lake Constance paintings in the baroque rooms of the Kreisgalerie in Meersburg. Selected still lifes, nudes and interiors also provide an overview of his career – from his early years in Speyer, Berlin and Paris to his final years in Ticino. The painter himself has his say: fascinating quotes from letters to his wife reveal the couple’s history – from their tender love affair in 1909 to Mathilde’s death in 1943. Colorful art, turbulent contemporary history and personal circumstances combine in an impressive way.

“Strong women” can be seen at the Lände Kressbronn. Mathilde Vollmoeller-Purrmann is one of the four “Artists in Dialogue”. The painter attended the Académie Matisse together with her future husband and exhibited successfully in Paris. Although she only painted occasionally after her marriage in 1912, the works on display in Kressbronn reveal her talent as a painter and her independence.

A richly illustrated catalog on the exhibition cooperation “Purrmann SEEWEIT” with texts by Heike Frommer and Ralf Michael Fischer will be published in mid-July at a price of 20 euros.

Rotes Haus l Galerie Bodenseekreis
Schlossplatz 13
88709 Meersburg

Museum Langenargen
Marktplatz 20
88085 Langenargen

Museum & Galerie Lände
Seestraße 24
88079 Kressbronn on Lake Constance