The applied arts of the Brücke have been little studied and exhibited to this date. This is all the more surprising given that Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde spent their lives designing furniture, jewelry and carpets in addition to their paintings and prints. It is precisely these ‘applied arts’ that reflect the innovative creative impulsive and the conscious break with the aesthetic conventions that are characteristic of the Expressionist artists.

The exhibition Kunst Hand Werk Brücke examines the manufacturing processes and contexts of creation, thus enabling completely new perspectives on the work of the artist community. It approaches the subject matter in an innovative way through the materials used (wood, metal and textiles) and works closely with practitioners to convey the special techniques.

A comprehensive catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Pechstein, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Erich Heckel left the cities to paint and live in nature. In their paintings, drawings, prints and watercolours, they celebrate the landscape, life, the human body and dynamic existence. The exhibition focuses on the Brücke artists’ quest for harmony between humans and nature. Almost 100 years after the Brücke debate, our relationship with nature has changed fundamentally. What can we learn from nature? How can a new relationship between nature, art and humanity emerge?

Coinciding with the exhibition, the museum’s artistic nature trail Learning from … Nature will open in the garden, for which nine contemporary artists are creating new site-specific works.