Exhibition on view

The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture
Kaiser Wilhelm Museum

Opening: Nov 23, 7 pm

Beginning November 24, 2023, the Kunstmuseen Krefeld are presenting the exhibition The Grand Seduction: Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture at the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum (KWM). The year 2023 marks not only the 650th anniversary of the city of Krefeld but also the centenary of the museum in a museum. Exactly a century ago, one of the world’s first design collections entered our institution: the Deutsches Museum für Kunst in Handel und Gewerbe (DM; German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry), founded by Karl Ernst Osthaus. The exhibition at the KWM honors the legacy and visionary work of this patron of the arts and collector from Hagen, who from 1909 to 1919, in collaboration with the Deutscher Werkbund, assembled impressive holdings of exemplary advertising art and everyday objects. They included posters and advertisements, typography and photography, as well as wallpaper and fabric, everyday items made of glass, metal, and ceramics, and luxury goods of silver. Osthaus worked closely with leading artists of the time, including Henry van de Velde, Walter Gropius, Peter Behrens, Richard Riemerschmid, Clara und Fritz Hellmuth Ehmcke, artists from the Wiener Werkstätte such as Mela Köhler, Josef Hoffmann, and Koloman Moser, as well as influential advertising artists such as Lucian Bernhard and Julius Klinger. With support from these renowned figures from art, the crafts, and architecture, Osthaus lay the foundations on which the Bauhaus could be built in the 1920s.

Curators: Magdalena Holzhey, Ina Ewers-Schultz

The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose
Hans Rudi Erdt  
Plakat Elegante Welt, um 1912  
Farblithografie  
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin  
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Hans Rudi Erdt
Plakat Elegante Welt, um 1912
Farblithografie
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose
Alfred Messel  
Warenhaus Wertheim, Berlin, 1896/1905  
Erster Bauabschnitt, Lichthof  
Fotografie, angefertigt vom Institut Dr. Franz Stoedtner  
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Alfred Messel
Warenhaus Wertheim, Berlin, 1896/1905
Erster Bauabschnitt, Lichthof
Fotografie, angefertigt vom Institut Dr. Franz Stoedtner
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose
Hans Rudi Erdt  
Plakat Automobile/Opel, 1911  
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin  
Farblithographie  
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Hans Rudi Erdt
Plakat Automobile/Opel, 1911
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin
Farblithographie
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Julius Gipkens  
Plakat Kaiser Brikett, 1913  
Farblithografie  
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin  
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Julius Gipkens
Plakat Kaiser Brikett, 1913
Farblithografie
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Josef Hoffmann  
Karaffe mit zwei Gläsern aus der Serie Var. B, um 1911  
Mattiertes Glas, Bronzitdekor  
Ausf: J. & L. Lobmeyr, Wien, um 1914  
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Josef Hoffmann
Karaffe mit zwei Gläsern aus der Serie Var. B, um 1911
Mattiertes Glas, Bronzitdekor
Ausf: J. & L. Lobmeyr, Wien, um 1914
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Berta Kiessewetter  
Beklebezettel Dr. Ötker‘s Backpulver  
Wiener Werkstätte, Wien, um 1907
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Berta Kiessewetter
Beklebezettel Dr. Ötker‘s Backpulver
Wiener Werkstätte, Wien, um 1907 © Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose
Peter Behrens  
Plakat AEG Metallfadenlampe/Zirka ein Watt pro Kerze, 1907  
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin  
Farblithographie  
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Peter Behrens
Plakat AEG Metallfadenlampe/Zirka ein Watt pro Kerze, 1907
Druck: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin
Farblithographie
© Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023  
Photo: Dirk Rose
The Grand Seduction. Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Beginnings of Consumer Culture, Collection German Museum for Art in Trade and Industry, Installation view at KWM, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, 2023
Photo: Dirk Rose

Kunst trifft Handwerk - DIY
Der Hocker von J. L. M. Lauweriks zum Nachbauen

Für die Ausstellung „Die Große Verführung – Karl Ernst Osthaus und die Anfänge der Konsumkultur“ können Interessierte einen eigenen Hocker nach einem Entwurf des berühmten Architekten J. L. M. Lauweriks (1864-1932) nachbauen und in der Ausstellung als Leihgabe präsentieren. Hilfestellung gibt unsere Anleitung. Der gebaute Hocker wird mit deinem Namensschild während der laufenden Ausstellung vom 24. November 2023 bis zum 28. April 2024 im Kaiser Wilhelm Museum gezeigt. Am Ende der Ausstellung im Mai 2024 kann er wieder abgeholt werden.

Exhibitions currently on view

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