Latest / The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History / The Berlin Secession: Art Rebels of the Kaiser's Era
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Germany's political upheavals — revolutions, wars, treaties. But I want to step into the art world for a bit, because there's a story there that's just as rebellious. You know the Berlin Secession? Luna: The art movement? I've heard the name, but I honestly couldn't tell you what it was about. Lucas: It started in 1898, and it's basically a group of artists in Berlin who said 'we're done with the official academy.' They broke away to form their own exhibition society. And the man at the center of it was Max Liebermann — a painter who'd been derided for years by the establishment. Lucas: The trigger was the Great Berlin Art Exhibition of 1898. The jury — stacked with conservative professors — rejected a series of landscapes by Walter Leistikow, a close friend of Liebermann's. That rejection was the last straw. Leistikow and Liebermann rallied a bunch of like-minded artists and founded the Berliner Secession. Luna: So they just said 'fine, we'll do our own show'? Lucas: Exactly. They rented a hall on Kantstraße and put on their own exhibition. And it was a hit. The public came in droves because they were hungry to see something that felt alive, not the tired academic history paintings the Kaiser loved. The Secession quickly became the most prestigious venue for modern art in Germany. Lucas: But it wasn't just about aesthetics. It was a direct challenge to the Kaiser's taste. Wilhelm II had very firm ideas about art — he once said art should 'keep its feet firmly planted on the good and true' and that anything else was degenerate. He wasn't subtle about it either. He called the Secessionists 'a gang of artists' and boycotted their openings. Luna: The Kaiser calling them a gang — that must have actually boosted their credibility, right? Lucas: Oh, totally. The more he attacked, the more the public rallied to them. Liebermann became president, and he was a master at navigating the political tightrope. He kept the Secession focused on art, not politics, even as the state tried to squeeze them out. Lucas: And the state did try. The academy pressured artists to quit, and the government denied them permits for a permanent building. But the Secession raised money privately — a lot of it from the dealer Paul Cassirer — and built their own exhibition hall on Kurfürstendamm, designed by Hans Grisebach. It opened in 1899, and it was a statement of independence. Luna: It's like they built their own fortress of modern art. Lucas: And it worked. The Secession shows became the place to see the latest from French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin. They brought international modernism to Berlin. And that's something worth talking about, because it's tied to how we keep this show going — with no ads, no sponsors, just curious listeners. Luna: Yeah, we love that the show is independent. It lets us go wherever the history leads. Lucas: Exactly. And if you've been enjoying these conversations, listener support is what keeps it that way. If you're ever inclined, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a nice way to say the history matters to you. No pressure, but it helps us keep digging. Luna: It's like supporting the Secessionists — a little push to keep independent voices alive. Lucas: Ha, exactly. And speaking of the Secessionists, they weren't all united for long. By 1910, a younger group — led by Georg Tappert and others — felt the Secession had become too conservative. They wanted to show even more radical art, like the Expressionists. So they split off to form the New Secession, the 'Neue Secession'. Luna: Wait, the rebels got too establishment? That's a classic story. Lucas: It is. But the original Secession kept going, even through the First World War. And after the war, in the Weimar Republic, it became less central because the art world had fractured into many factions. But its legacy is huge — it paved the way for the Weimar culture we often talk about. Lucas: Then came the Nazis. In 1933, they purged modern art museums, and in 1937 they organized the infamous 'Entartete Kunst' — Degenerate Art — exhibition in Munich. They hung Secession works and other modern art alongside labels mocking them. Liebermann, who was Jewish, died in 1935, but his work was among the thousands of pieces seized. Luna: So the very movement the Kaiser called degenerate became the Nazi's nightmare too. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why I find this story so powerful. It's not just about pretty paintings. It's about creative freedom in a society that tried to control it. The Secessionists didn't win every battle, but they showed that independent voices matter.