 |
 |
 |
|||
Description
‘Mit Mann und Ross und Wagen’
Lithography
The original oil-version of ‘Mit Mann und Ross und Wagen, so hat sie Gott geschlagen’, which Arthur Kampf created in 1896, depicts the defeated French soldiers coming back (to Germany) from Russia in 1812. The soldiers are exhausted, dirty, hungry and diseased. The French troops were completely crushed in Russia in 1812. Six years earlier, Napoleon, the Emperor of France since 1804, defeated the German army at Jena and Auerstedt. After the defeat in Russia in 1812, it took another year before Germany was liberated from the French. In the Battle of Leipzig, October 1813, the foundation was created for the German Empire of 1871.
‘Mit Mann und Ross und Wagen’ has been in the possession of the ‘Schlesisches Museum für bildende Künste’ in Breslau (Wroclaw, Poland), but is missing since 1922. The work was displayed at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunst-Ausstellung’ in 1897.
‘Mit Mann und Ross und Wagen’ displayed at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunst-Ausstellung’ in 1897. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
‘Mit Mann und Ross und wagen, so hat sie Gott geschlagen’ are also the first words of a German folksong from 1813.
The slogan ‘Mit Mann und Roß und Wagen hat sie der Herr geschlagen“ was later used by the Nazis when they invaded Poland. Invasion of Poland, 1939: ‘Mit Mann und Ross und Wagen, so hat sie Gott geschlagen!’
| – condition | : IV 5 cracks and 1 large crease |
| – size | : 91 x 68 cm |
| – signed | : right under |
| – type | : litho (kunstdruck) |
============================================ § ============================================
BIOGRAPHY: ARTHUR KAMPF
Arthur Kamp in Downing Street
Arthur Kampf, ‘Portrait of Cecil Arthur Tooke’ (1884-1966), Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and Prisoner of War. Date 1918. Size 73 x 56. Tooke was captured at Antwerp in December 1914 and remained a POW at Doberitz camp, outside Berlin, until his repatriation in late 1918. He was awarded an OBE for services to maintaining staff morale in the camp through producing postcard and badge designs used by fellow POWs.
The painting is part of the British Government Art Collection (which works are on display in major British government buildings). In 2021/22 Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer (ranking just behind the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor) hung the painting in Downing Street 10/11, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Der 30. Januar 1933’ (‘The 30th of January 1933’). GDK 1949, room 3.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Die Aufbahrung Kaiser Wilhelm I‘ (‘The body of Kaiser Wilhelm I lying in state‘). Displayed at the Grosse Münchener Kunstausstellung in the Glaspalast, 1922. In the possession of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich.
Left: Arthur Kampf, huge painting of Adolf Hitler in the City Hall of Berlin (in the ‘Köningstrasse’, renamed after 1951).
Right: Arthur Kampf, ‘Fichtes Rede An die deutsche Nation‘, 1915 (‘The speech of Fichte to the German nation‘). Located in the auditorium of the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Berlin. Photo: 1933 (photos: Bundesarchive).
Left: Arthur Kampf, ‘Jungfrau von Hemmingstedt’ (the flag carrying Maiden of Hemmingstedt, in the Battle of Hemmingstedt, 17 February 1500). GDK 1939, room 3. Bought by Hitler for 12.000 Reichsmark. In the possession of the Deutsches Historisches Museum. Also displayed at the ‘Frühjahrs-Ausstellung, Preussische Akademie der Künste’, 1939, and at the exhibition ‘Kunst im 3. Reich, Dokumente der Unterwerfung’; the exhibition, instigated by the Frankfurter Kunstverein, was held from 1974 to 1975 in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Ludwigshafen and Wuppertal. Also displayed on loan at the exhibition ‘Art in Battle’, KODE-Bergen Art Museum, Norway (September 2015 – January 2016). Size: 237 x 160 cm.
Right: ‘Jungfrau von Hemmingstedt’ by Kampf displayed at the exhibition ‘Aufstieg und Fall der Moderne‘, Weimar, 1999.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Sonderschau’, GDK 1939 room 3. On the wall, in front of Hitler: ‘Jungfrau von Hemmingstedt’ by Kampf. Left on the photo: ‘Rückkehr des Sohnes’ (‘Return of the Sun’).
Arthur Kampf, ‘Wir treten zum Beten vor Gott den Gerechten’ (‘We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing’), also named ‘Karfreitag in einer französischen Kirche’ (‘Good Friday in a French Church’). GDK 1939, room 3. Painting in possession of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preusischer Kulturbesitz, Nationalgalerie. Also displayed ath the XXIII Biennale Venedig under the name ‘Venerdi Santo nella chiesa de Pinon-1915’.
Wir treten zum Beten vor Gott den Gerechten
‘Wir treten zum Beten’ is an old prayer song with Dutch origins going back to the Battle of Turnhout in 1597, where the Dutch defeated the Spaniards.The song was very popular during the time of the German Kaiserreich. Later, the National Socialists used the song often in their propaganda. It would emphasise the blessing of God on the Third Reich as successor of the German Kaiserreich.
Left: Arthur Kampf, ‘Venus und Adonis’, created in 1924. GDK 1939, room 21. Bought by Hitler for 10.800 Reichsmark. In the possession of the German Historical Museum. Size 206 x 182 cm.
Right: ‘Venus und Adonis’ displayed at the exhibition ‘Artige Kunst, Kunst und Politik im Nationalsozialismus‘ (‘Compliant Art, Art and Politics in the National Socialist era’) held at Museum Situation Kunst, Bochum (November 2016 – April 2017), Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock (April – June 2017) and at Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg (July – October 2017). Depicted in the exhibition catalogue.
‘Venus und Adonis’ displayed at the exhibition ‘Aufstieg und Fall der Moderne‘, Weimar, 1999.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Der Choral von Leuthen’ (‘The Hymn of Leuthen’), created in 1887. The Battle of Leuthen, 5 December 1757. Frederick the Great and his troops singing hymns to thank God for their victory over the Austrians during the Seven Years War. The song was composed in the 17th century by Johannes Crüger and inspired Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1939 the Reichsgau Köln-Aachen gave the painting to Hermann Göring for his 46th birthday. Nowadays in the possession of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich.
Hermann Göring Collection
Hermann Görings entire art collection comprised some 4,263 paintings, sculptures and tapestries. He planned to display them in the ‘Norddeutsche Galerie’, an art gallery which should be created after the war. The Norddeutsche Gallery was to be erected as an annex to Karinhall in the big forest of the Schorfheide, near Berlin. According to the website of the German Historical Museum, the work ‘Der Choral von Leuthen’ (‘The Hymn of Leuthen’) was part of the collection. In 1939 the Reichsgau Köln-Aachen gave the painting to Hermann Göring for his 46th birthday.
‘Il Figlioul Prodigo‘
Left: Arthur Kampf, ‘Rückkehr des Sohnes’ (‘Return of the Sun’), 1929. Displayed at the GDK 1939, room 3. Size: 164 x 126 cm. Bought by Hitler for 9.000 RM. In the possession of the German Historical Museum. Also displayed at the ‘Frühjahrs-Ausstellung’, 1925, of the Akademie der Künste zu Berlin; again at the XXIII Venice Biennale, 1942 under the name ‘Il Figlioul Prodigo’, and later at the exhibition ‘Aufstieg und Fall der Moderne‘, Weimar, 1999.
Right: Goebbels visting the Biennale di Venezia in 1942. At the back ‘Rückkehr des Sohnes’ by Arthur Kampf.
‘Der verlorene Sohn’ by Kampf, displayed at the ‘Frühjahrs-Ausstellung’, 1925, of the Akademie der Künste zu Berlin. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
Biennale di Venezia, XXIII Esposizione Internazionale D’Arte 1942.
At the background are visible the works by Kampf: ‘Einsegnung Freiwilliger im Jahr 1813’, ‘Volksoper 1813’ and ‘Zwei Rassen’.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Zwei Rassen’ (‘Two Races’), 1930. Depicted in ‘Arthur Kampf’, 1944. Displayed at the ‘Biennale di Venezia, XXIII Esposizione Internazionale D’Arte 1942’.
Left: Arthur Kampf, ‘Kriegsbegeisterung’ (‘War enthusiasm’), 1914.
Right: ‘Kriegsbegeisterung’, displayed at the German Historical Museum, Berlin. Size 59 x 45 cm.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Der Schnitter’ (‘Grim Reaper’). Displayed at the ‘Ausstellung Berliner Kunst’, 1935, Neue Pinakothek, Munich. Depicted in ‘Das Bild’, May 1935, and in ‘Das bauerliche Jahr, Ein Buch vom Bauerntum in Bildern deutscher Maler’.
‘Die Heimat im Schutze der Wehr’
‘Die Heimat im Schutze der Wehr’, or ‘The Wehrmacht protects the Heimat’, was a series of 3 monumental wall paintings (each 4 x 3 meters), destinated for a Conference Hall of the German Army. The wall paintings are described i.a. on four pages in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1941. The names of the three works are:
– Part I: ‘Die Wehrmacht schützt den Frieden des Landes’;
– Part II: ‘Die Verteidigung der Güter des Friedens im Kampf gegen den Überfall der Feinde’:
– Part III: ‘Der Einzug des Sieger nach wiederhergestelltem Frieden’.
Assumably the wall paintings were not executed, however at least two of the originals designs (‘Temperaskizzen mit Kaseinfarben übertragen’) are still existing.
Part I: ‘Die Wehrmacht schützt den Frieden des Landes‘, or ‘The Wehrmacht protects the Peace in the Countries’. Design, created in 1940, tempera, 74 x 104 cm. Depicted in ‘Arthur Kampf, 1944‘, and in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1941 and 1944. Sold in a private sales transaction, 2013.
Part II: ‘Die Verteidigung der Güter des Friedens im Kampf gegen den Überfall der Feinde’, or ‘The Defence of the Peace’. Design, created in 1941, tempera, 73 x 96 cm. Depicted in ‘Arthur Kampf, 1944‘. Sold in a private sales transaction, 2013.
Part III: ‘Der Einzug des Sieger nach wiederhergestelltem Frieden’, or ‘The Arrival of the Victor after the restored Peace’. Depicted in ‘Arthur Kampf, 1944‘.
Otto des Grossen Beziehungen zu Magdeburg
Arthur Kampf, ‘Otto des Grossen Beziehungen zu Magdeburg‘: ‘German King Otto the Great (912-973) and his relation to the city of Magdeburg‘. Monumental wall-painting consisting of three parts, displayed at the opening in 1906 of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, city of Magdeburg (nowadays Kulturhistorische Museum Magdeburg). Depicted in the magazine ‘Die Woche‘, 1906.
The photos below are depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1922/23.
Left: left part of the wall-painting: ‘Otto I und Edith betreiben die Befestigung von Magdeburg’ (‘Otto I and Edith running the Fortification Magdeburg’).
Right: mid part of the wall-painting: ‘Otto I zieht als Sieger über die Slawen und Wenden in Magdeburg ein’ (‘Otto I, conqueror of the Slavs and the Wenden -German speaking Slavs-, enters the city of Magdeburg’).
Below: right part of the wall-painting: ‘Otto I and Adelheid nehmen Abschied vom Grabe Ediths, seiner ersten Gattin’ (‘Otto I and Adelheid at the grave of Edith, his first wife’).
The Kaiser-Otto-Saal with the monumental work by Artur Kampf, Kulturhistorische Museum Magdeburg (2019).
Arthur Kampf, ‘Abschied’ (‘Farewell’). Design for a huge mosaic for a building of the the Red Cross (‘the ‘Mütter und Säulingsfürsorge des Roten Kreuzes’). Depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1915/16.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Sämann’ (‘Sower’), displayed at the:
– ‘Herbst Ausstellung Preussische Akademie der Künste’, Berlin, 1935. Depicted in the exhibition catalogue;
– exhibition ‘Deutscher Bauer – Deutsches Land’, Berlin, 1938. Depicted on the cover of the catalog;
– GDK 1939 room 3, bought by Reichserziehungsminister Bernhard Rust for 3.500 Reichsmark.
Left: ‘Sämann’ by Kampf, depicted in the 1935-exhibition catalog of the Preussische Akademie der Künste.
Right: ‘Sämann’ by Kampf, depicted on the cover of the 1938-exhibition catalog ‘Deutscher Bauer – Deutsches Land’ (‘Ausstellung unter der Schirmherrschaft von Reichsbauernführer Reichsminister R. Walther Darré und Reichsleiter Alfred Rosenberg’).
Left: Arthur Kampf, ’Erntesegen’ (‘Rich Harvest’). GDK 1939 room 3. Bought by minister Von Ribbentrop for 3.500 Reichsmark.
Right: ‘Erntesegen’ by Kampf. Size 104 x 97 cm. In the possession of the Belvedere Museum, Vienna (previous Kunsthistorisch Museum Wien, -Sammlung Joachim von Ribbentrop).
Arthur Kampf, ‘Friedrich der grosse als Fahnentrager auf dem Schlachtfeld’ (‘Frederick the Great as standard-bearer at the battlefield’). Created around 1900. Size 135 x 95 cm. In the possession of German Historical Museum, Berlin.
Kreishaus Aachen
‘Professor Arthur Kampf bei der Arbeit an seinem Gemälde für das Kreishaus in Aachen’: Professor Arthur Kampf working on the design of one of his frescos for the meeting room of the ‘Kreishaus Aachen’ (the District House of Aachen). Depicted in the German magazin ‘Die Woche’, 1900. The frescos were completed in 1902.
Left: ‘Walzwerk’. Detail of the fresco, depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1922.
Right: The large carton for the Kreishaus Aachen, displayed at Grosse Berliner Kunst-Austellung 1902.
The ‘Kreishaus-frescos’ were destructed by bomb attacks in 1944. Below two saved pieces of the frescos (depicting scenes from the Eschweiler hüttenwerk) which are currently in the possession of the city of Aachen.
Arthur Kampf, another wall-painting in the meeting room of the Kreishaus Aachen. Depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1922.
Left: Arthur Kampf, ‘Bauarbeiter’ (‘Construction Workers’). Displayed at the ‘Frühjahrs Ausstellung’, 1927, of the Preussische Akademie der Künste zu Berlin.
Middel: ‘Bauarbeiter’ by Kampf in the entrance hall of a DAF-Kameradschaftshaus. Depicted in ‘Das Taschenbuch Schönheit der Arbeit’, Deutsche Arbeitsfront, 1938.
Right: the same work depicted in ‘Arthur Kampf’, 1944, under the name ‘Hausabbruch’ (‘Demolishing of a House’). Created in 1924.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Heimkehr‘ (‘Returning‘). Displayed at the Preussische Akademie der Künste, Herbst-Ausstellung 1932. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Im Konzert‘ (‘In Concert‘). Displayed at the ‘Herbst-Ausstellung‘ of the Preussische Akademie der Künste’, Berlin, 1940. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
‘Works of Contemporary Artists of the Empire’, New York, Boston, Chicago, 1909
Arthur Kampf, ‘Emperor Wilhelm II’, created in 1908. Portrayed in the uniform of the White Cuirassiers. Described in the Chicago Daily Tribune, 7 April 1909. Displayed at the exhibition ‘Works of Contemporary Artist of the Empire’ in the ‘Chicago Art Institute’, 7 April 1909. An ‘exhibition in America representing the best expression of the contemporaneous art movement in Germany’. The works were that year earlier displayed at exhibitions held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Boston.
Left: ‘Emperor Wilhelm II’ by Kampf, depicted in the Chicago Daily Tribune, 7 April 1909.
Right: ‘Emperor Wilhelm II’ by Kampf, depicted in the American magazine ‘The Craftsman’, March 1909, with the accompanying text: ‘Just as the portrait of the Emperor seems to dominate the exhibition, so his restless, turbulant and agressive personality seems to draw to a focus the national feeling that is there represented. He aims at supremacy along all lines. He plays at painting, sculpture, music, oratory, poetry and architecture as he plays with the dream of being War-Lord of the world, and the nation, or part of it, follows his lead; the part that does not follow eats out its heart in smouldering bitterness or open dsicontent, and all this conflict of warring elements in the nation, all this grasping after false ideals, shows on the walls of the seven galleries at the Metropolitan.’
Left: ‘Emperor Wilhelm II’ by Kampf. Photo in the possession of the New York Public Library. The texts below reads: ‘Copyright 1908 by Berlin Photographic Company’; and ‘portrait of Emperor Wilhelm II by Arthur Kampf’.
Right: ‘Emperor Wilhelm II’ by Kampf, depicted on the cover of the ‘Illustrirte Zeitung’, Leipzig, 21 January 1909.
‘L‘offerta del Popolo‘
Arthur Kampf, ‘Volksopfer 1813, Gold gab ich für Eisen‘ (‘People’s Offering 1813, I gave gold for iron’). Created in 1894. At that time in the possession of the Städtisches Museum der Bildende Künste, Leipzig.
In an attempt to fund the costs of the war against Napoleon, the German Government appealed to its citizens to give up gold rings and other jewellery. In exchange, often the donor was given a medal or iron ring with the inscription ‘Gold gab ich fur Eisen’. The slogan was used again in Germany in WWI fundraisings campaings.
Left: ‘Volksopfer 1813, Gold gab ich für Eisen‘, or, L’offerta del Popolo, displayed at La Biennale di Venezia, 1942. Depicted in the official exhibition catalogue.
Right: ‘Volksopfer, Gold gab ich für Eisen‘, postcard issued in Breslau, 1914.
‘Benedizione die Volontari‘
Arthur Kampf, ‘Einsegnung von Freiwilligen, 1813‘ (‘Benedizione die Volontari, 1813‘ or ‘Blessing of war Volonteers, 1813‘).
Left: ‘Benedizione die Volontari‘, a second version, was depicted in the official exhibition catalogue.
Right: the origional version of ‘Einsegnung von Freiwilligen, 1813‘, created in 1890, was displayed at the GDK 1939 room 3, and at the Biennale di Venezia, 1942. Depicted in ‘Arthur Kampf, 1944‘ and on numerous postcards.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Friedrich der Grosse nach der Rückkehr aus dem siebenjährigen Kriege’ (‘Frederic the Great returned after the Seven Year War’). Displayed at the Grosse Berliner Kunst-Ausstellung 1902.
Left: Arthur Kampf, detail of ‘Das Wandgemälde Nutrimentum spiritus in der Neuen Bibliothek zu Berlin’ (‘the wall-painting Nutrimentum spiritus in the new University Libarary of Berlin).
Right: the text ‘Nutrimentum spiritus’, meaning ‘food for the soul’, is still inscribed on the facade of the Humboldt University, Faculty of Law, Berlin (formerly the Royal Library).
Above: Arthur Kampf, ‘Die Wissenschaft bringt der Menschheit Erleuchtung und Erlösung’ (‘Science brings humanity Insight and Liberation’). First design for a wall-painting for the auditorium of the University of Berlin.
Below: Arthur Kampf, ‘Erziehung der Jugend’ (‘Education of Youth’). Second design for a wall-painting for the auditorium of the University of Berlin.
Both photos depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1922.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Rede Friedrichs des Grossen an seine Generale bei Köben’ (‘Speech of Frederic the Great to his Generals at Köben’). Displayed in the GDK 1939 room 3; depicted in the exhibition catalogue. Also depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1914/15. The text below the photo reads: ‘In de possession of the Gemäldegalerie zu Düsseldorf’. Created 1893.
Left: ‘Bust of Arthur Kampf’, by Arno Breker, created in 1935. Bronze, height 38 cm. Displayed in 2016 by the ‘Museum de Fundatie’, The Netherlands (given on loan by the heirs of Arno Breker). The same -or a similar- cast of Arthur Kampf by Breker, was displayed at the GDK 1937 room 2.
Right: ‘Bust of Arthur Kampf’ by Arno Breker, displayed at the ‘Frühjahrs-Ausstellung’, 1937, Preussische Akademie der Künste. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
Arthur Kampf, ‘Überfall. Entwurf, 1917’ (‘The Raid. Design, 1917’). Size 160 x 114 cm. Sold by a German auction house in 2019. Depicted in black and white in the book ‘Arthur Kampf’, Velhagen & Klasing in Bielefeld und Leipzig, 1944.
Professor Arthur Kampf opening the ‘Herbst-Ausstellung der Preussische Akademie der Künste‘ at 26 October 1940. Press photo. The first two sculptures given a place of honour in front of all the guests are ‘Ringer’ (‘Wrestler’) by Hugo Lederer, and ‘Mutter’ by Anton Grauel. 
Left: Arthur Kampf, ‘Selfportrait’. As Kampf said himself: ‘Painted after a hot summer in 1911’. Depicted in the book ‘Arthur Kampf, von Hans Rosenhagen,‘ 1922, page 77.
Right: Arthur Kampf, at the time of his resignation as president of the Berlin Art Academy. Published in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 1910.
Arthur Kampf
The most important history painter of the Third Reich.
Arthur Kampf, 1864 – 1950, brother of painter Eugen Kampf and father of painter Herbert Kampf, studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. In 1886 he created the work ‘The Final Statement’, which brought him rapid fame. After his training, he was an assistant teacher at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1891 to 1893. Beginning in 1887, Kampf laid the foundation for his subsequent reputation as the last German history painter of calibre, with the pictorial composition of historical themes for the most part reflecting events from the wars of independence. Themes that were devised by him such as ‘The Leuthen Choral’ (1887, destroyed), ‘Consecration of the Volunteers’ (1891),‘Professor Steffens Speaks in 1813 in Favour of the Popular Uprising’ (1891, missing),‘The People’s Sacrifice 1813′ (1894, Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts), as well as ‘He Defeated Them with Man and Steed and Wagon’ (1896, ‘Mit Mann und Roß und Wagen hat der Herr sie geschlagen’; lost), were illustrated into German schoolbooks, sold in large editions as postcards and wall posters.
By the end of the nineteenth century, Kampf had acquired an international reputation and was recepient of numerous distinctions: honorary member of the Academies of Dresden, Vienna and Antwerp, member of the Prussian Academy of Art, Silver Medal in Paris in 1900, Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, etc.
At 7 April 1909 the exhibition ‘Works of Contemporary Artist of the Empire’ took place in the ‘Chicago Art Institute’: an ‘exhibition in America representing the best expression of the contemporaneous art movement in Germany’. Arthur Kampf displayed his work: ‘Emperor Wilhelm II’, portrayed in the uniform of the White Cuirassiers. Earlier that year, the work was displayed at exhibitions held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Boston.
From 1907 to 1912 he was President of the Royal Academy of Art in Berlin; in 1915 he became Director of the Berlin Art Academy.
In 1933, Arthur Kampf became a member of the NSDAP. Celebrated by virtue of his themes concerning German history and stylistic continuity, only sporadically interrupted by elements of art nouveau and Impressionism, he was awarded the Goethe Medal (1934), the Eagle shield of the German Empire and granted inscription in the so-called ‘List of Immortals’.
The ‘Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft’
The ‘Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft’ (Goethe Medal for Art and Science) was authorized by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg to commemorate the centenary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s death on March 22, 1932. The Medal was in Hindenburg’s name given to Goethe scholars, artists, scientists, government officials and politicians. Among the recipients of the Medal were Chancellor Brüning, Max Planck, and the Nobel Prize winners Gerhart Hauptmann, Thomas Mann, Nicholas Murray Butler, André Gide, Knut Hamsun, Verner von Heidenstam, Guglielmo Marconi, Albert Schweitzer, Fritz Haber and Richard Willstätter. Other recipients were Benito Mussolini, José Ortega y Gasset, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer, Carl Goerdeler, Paul Ernst, Hans Grimm and E.G. Kolbenheyer. About one quarter of the honorees of the Goethe Medal before July 1934 were non-Germans. Women were rarely considered.
Beginning in November 1934, Adolf Hitler, in his position as German Head of State, took over the awarding of the ‘Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft’. Among them are the Nobel Prize winners Hans von Euler-Chelpin, Johannes Stark, Heinrich Wieland and Adolf Windaus, as well as five women: Anna Bahr-Mildenburg, Hedwig Bleibtreu, Agnes Bluhm, Isolde Kurz, and Lulu von Strauß und Torney. Under Hitler the Medal was generally awarded only on high birthdays or other important anniversaries. Many of the recipients were followers of National Socialism.
Kampf was one of the four painters in 1944 on the ‘Sonderliste der Unersetzlichen Künstler’, or the Gottbegnadeten list.
Arthur Kampf was a history painter, and his pictures of historical themes and war scenes were used as propaganda in both World Wars. The NS-Regime in particular celebrated him as a ‘Blood and Soil’ artist (his work ‘Sower’, for example, was depicted on the cover of the 1938-exhibition catalog ‘Deutscher Bauer – Deutsches Land’, an exhibition ‘unter der Schirmherrschaft von Reichsbauernführer Reichsminister R. Walther Darré und Reichsleiter Alfred Rosenberg’).
In 1940, on the occasion of his 75th birthday, the ‘Preussische Akademie der Künste’ displayed at its Frühjahrs-Ausstellung’ 60 works by Kampf.
Arthur Kampf was represented in the Great German Art Exhibitions with 18 paintings. Hitler bought 4 of his works, other buyers at the GDK were Joseph Goebbels, foreigh minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and minister Wilhelm Rust. In 1939, on the instructions of Hitler, the GDK mounted a special display of paintings by Arthur Kampf: the Sonderschau. The Sonderschau was a special exhibition that garthered works of a highly valued single artist (one per year) in one room.
Fifteen works of Arthur Kampf were displayed at the XXIII Venice Biennale, 1942, including: ‘Frederico il Grande parla ai suol gerarchi’ (‘Ansprache Friedrichs des grossen an seine Generäle bei Koeben‘, GDK 1939), ‘Benedizione del volontari‘ (‘Einsegnung Freiwilliger im Jahr 1813‘), ‘Il Venerdi Santo nella chiesa de Pinon-1915’ (‘Good Friday in a French Church’, GDK 1939), ‘L‘offerta del Popolo‘ (‘Volksopfer 1813, Gold gab ich für Eisen‘) and ‘Il Figlioul Prodigo‘ (‘Rückkehr des Sohnes‘, GDK 1939).
The work ‘Der Choral von Leuthen’ (‘The Hymn of Leuthen’) was part of the art collection of Hermann Göring and destinated for the ‘Norddeutsche Gallery’.
At the end of the war most of his mural paintings were destroyed. Kampf fled from the advance of the Red Army to Berchtesgaden. After the war he sank into oblivion.
Arthur Kampf died in 1950, in Castrop-Rauxel.
‘Die Aufbahrung Kaiser Wilhelm I‘ (‘The body of Kaiser Wilhelm I lying in state‘) and ‘Der Choral von Leuthen’ (‘The Hymn of Leuthen’), are in the possession of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen. The work ‘Wir treten zum Beten vor Gott den Gerechten’ (‘We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing’) is in the possession of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preusischer Kulturbesitz, Nationalgalerie. In the possession of the Deutsches Historisches Museum are the following works: ‘Jungfrau von Hemmingstedt’ (the flag carrying Maiden of Hemmingstedt, ‘Venus und Adonis’, ‘Rückkehr des Sohnes’ (‘Return of the Sun’), ‘Kriegsbegeisterung’ (‘War enthusiasm’), ‘Friedrich der grosse als Fahnentrager auf dem Schlachtfeld’ (‘Frederick the Great as standard-bearer at the battlefield’). ‘Jungfrau von Hemmingstedt’ was displayed at the exhibition ‘Kunst im 3. Reich, Dokumente der Unterwerfung’; the exhibition, instigated by the Frankfurter Kunstverein, was held from 1974 to 1975 in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Ludwigshafen and Wuppertal. Also displayed on loan at the Exhibition ‘Art in Battle’, KODE-Bergen Art Museum, Norway (September 2015 – January 2016).
Displayed at the exhibition ‘Aufstieg und Fall der Moderne‘, Weimar, 1999, were: ‘Jungfrau von Hemmingstedt’ (GDK 1939, bought by Hitler for 12.000 Reichsmark), ‘Venus und Adonis’ (GDK 1939, bought by Hitler for 10.800 Reichsmark) and ‘Rückkehr des Sohnes’ (GDK 1939, bought by Hitler for 9.000 RM). ‘Kriegsbegeisterung’ (‘War enthusiasm’) is currently displayed at the German Historical Museum, Berlin. ‘Venus und Adonis’ was again displayed at the exhibition ‘Artige Kunst, Kunst und Politik im Nationalsozialismus‘ (‘Compliant Art, Art and Politics in the National Socialist era’) held at Museum Situation Kunst, Bochum (November 2016 – April 2017), Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock (April – June 2017) and at Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg (July – October 2017).
Arthur Kamp in Downing Street
In 2021/22 Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer (ranking just behind the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor) hung Arthur Kampf’s ‘Portrait of Cecil Arthur Tooke’ in Downing Street 10/11, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The painting depicts the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Tooke, Prisoner of War. Date 1918 (Tooke was captured at Antwerp in December 1914 and remained a POW at Doberitz camp, outside Berlin, until his repatriation in late 1918). The painting is part of the British Government Art Collection (which works are on display in major British government buildings).