Erich Buchholz

Key facts

Lived

1891–1972^[1]

Works held in

5 museums

Wikipedia

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• What is Erich Buchholz known for?+

  Erich Buchholz is known for small, precisely constructed geometric paintings in oil and bronze powder on wood. He produced these works during a concentrated burst in the early 1920s, from his studio at 15 Herkulesufer in Berlin.
• What is Erich Buchholz's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single "most famous work" by Erich Buchholz, as his recognition has grown over time. He was born in Bromberg, Germany, in 1891^[1] and died in Berlin in 1972^[1]. Buchholz is known for his abstract constructivist works using oil paint and bronze powder on wood. Several of these date to 1922^[1], including *Red Circle in Cold Circle*, *Circle of Ascent*, and *Gold Square with Beaming Rays*. In 1971, he created a three-part maquette of his studio at Herkulesufer 15, a model of his 1922 studio. Buchholz's artistic activity between 1919 and 1925 was the focus of a special issue of *Eau de Cologne* in 1968. A solo exhibition of his work was held at Galerie Daedalus Berlin in 1971. A larger exhibition opened at Stadtisches Kunstmuseum, Dusseldorf, in December 1978, before travelling to other museums.
• What should I know about Erich Buchholz's prints?+

  Erich Buchholz (1891^[1]-1972^[1]) was a German artist who worked in painting, sculpture, and design. He was associated with various avant-garde movements, including Constructivism and Dada. Buchholz's prints are not widely discussed; however, exhibition catalogues and related publications offer some insight. A special issue of *Eau de Cologne* in 1968^[1] was devoted to Buchholz's activities from 1919 to 1925. A Galerie Daedalus Berlin exhibition catalogue from May-June 1971 includes an autobiographical text. His works include *Circle of Ascent* (1922), *Red Circle in Cold Circle* (1922), and *Gold Square with Beaming Rays* (1922). These pieces combine oil paint and bronze powder on wood. He also created a three-part maquette for the Studio at Herkulesufer 15 (1971 model of 1922 studio).
• What style or movement did Erich Buchholz belong to?+

  Erich Buchholz was associated with several movements, including Constructivism and Dada. His work moved from Expressionism to abstraction after encountering Herwarth Walden and his Galerie Der Sturm. Constructivism, originating in Russia around 1915^[1], rejected purely aesthetic art in favour of art with a social purpose. Dada was an anti-establishment artistic and literary movement that arose in neutral Zurich during the First World War. Dada rejected logic, reason, and aestheticism, expressing nonsense, irrationality, and anti-bourgeois protest in artistic form. Buchholz's association with these avant-garde movements reflects his exploration of abstraction, geometric forms, and a move away from traditional artistic conventions. His career trajectory shows an engagement with the radical artistic ideas that emerged in the early 20th century.
• What techniques or materials did Erich Buchholz use?+

  Erich Buchholz explored diverse materials and techniques in his art. He is known to have used oil on rhodoid, a type of plastic, in the 1940s. Buchholz also worked with other plastics such as Plexiglas. In one technique, he scratched fine lines into the plastic sheets to help the oil pigments adhere, applying paint to both sides to create spatial effects. He also experimented with industrial lacquers, although he found them unreliable. Buchholz's techniques included metal engraving, a method derived from medieval goldsmiths' work. In metal engraving, lines are gouged out of a metal plate using a burin, and ink is then applied to the grooves. The image is transferred to paper under high pressure. Woodcut was another technique he may have used. Woodcut involves cutting away areas of a wood block, inking the raised surfaces, and pressing the block onto paper.
• When did Erich Buchholz live and work?+

  Erich Buchholz was born in Bromberg, Germany (now Bydgoszcz, Poland). He died in Berlin in 1972^[1]. Buchholz was active as an artist from around 1919^[1]. In 1922, he produced works such as *Circle of Ascent*, *Red Circle in Cold Circle*, and *Gold Square with Beaming Rays*. These pieces used oil paint and bronze powder on wood. A 1971 model, at a 1:10 ratio, recreated his studio at Herkulesufer 15 from 1922. Buchholz's work was the subject of a special issue of *Eau de Cologne* in 1968, which focused on his activities from 1919 to 1925. He had a solo exhibition at Galerie Daedalus Berlin in 1971. A larger exhibition of his work opened at Stadtisches Kunstmuseum, Dusseldorf, in December 1978, and later travelled to other museums.
• Where can I see Erich Buchholz's work?+

  Erich Buchholz's work can be viewed in several museum collections. In Germany, these include the Brücke Museum and Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Kunsthalle and Sammlung Bottcherstrasse in Bremen, the Ludwig Museum and Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne, the Folkwang Museum in Essen, and the Kunsthalle in Hamburg. Other German museums holding his work are the Niedersachsisches Landesmuseum in Hanover, the Stadtische Kunsthalle in Mannheim, the Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen in Munich, the Stiftung Ada und Emil Nolde in Seebüll, and the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal. Buchholz's association with the Bauhaus movement means his art is also held in the collections of institutions such as the Bauhaus-Archiv, Museum für Gestaltung, in Berlin; the Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau; the Bauhaus-Museum Weimar; and the Klassik Stiftung Weimar/Bauhaus-Museum. Outside Germany, his work can be seen at the Zentrum Paul Klee Bern in Switzerland; the Busch-Reisinger Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; the Utsunomiya Museum of Art, and the Misawa Bauhaus Collection in Tokio, Japan.
• Who did Erich Buchholz influence?+

  Erich Buchholz's artistic impact is difficult to trace directly. The Expressionist group Die Brücke, active in Dresden during the early 20th century, had a significant impact on German art. Their graphic style and woodcut techniques influenced artists in Berlin and other areas. Even in Dresden, a Brücke tradition persisted, with artists such as Otto Lange, Mitschke-Collande, Heckroth, and Béckstiegel carrying on the tradition with personal variations. Felix Miller also advanced it independently. Later, in the 1960s, a new generation of German painters emerged, though their achievements were not internationally recognised until the late 1970s. Critics seeking influences for the Neo-Fauves and the controversial German contribution to the 1980 Venice Biennale, where Baselitz presented work, partly prompted recognition of this earlier generation. Artists like Lüpertz, Penck, and Immendorff also addressed problems of German identity in their work. Baselitz's oeuvre, in particular, displays an aggressiveness and vehemence that set standards for others. He and others drew inspiration from German Primitives and Edvard Munch, similar to Die Brücke.
• Who influenced Erich Buchholz?+

  The provided texts do not discuss the influences on Erich Buchholz. They consist of lists of names associated with the Bauhaus school (1919^[1]-1933^[1]), including Gyula Pap, Richard Paulick, Max Peiffer Watenphul, Walter Peterhans, Josef Pohl, Hans Przyrembel, Konrad Püschel, Margaretha Reichardt, Rainer Maria Rilke, Otto Rittweger, Karl Peter Röhl, Agnes Roghé, Hajo Rose, Reinhold Rossig, Xanti Schawinsky, Hinnerk Scheper, Oskar Schlemmer, Joost Schmidt, Kurt Schmidt, Eberhard Schrammen, Lothar Schreyer, Herbert Schürmann, Kurt Schwertfeger, Werner Siedhoff, Alma Siedhoff-Buscher, Franz Singer, Franz Skala, Naum Slutzky, Irmgard Sörensen, Paula Stockmar, Gunta Stölzl, Wolfgang Tümpel, Otto Umbehr, Henry van de Velde, Reingard Voigt, Lis Volger, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Nikolai Wassiljew, Vincent Weber, Margaret Willers, Hans Wittwer, Anni Wottiz, Iwao Yamawaki, and Michiko Yamawaki. Without further information, it is impossible to determine who specifically influenced Buchholz's artistic development.
• Who was Erich Buchholz?+

  Erich Buchholz (1891^[1]-1972^[1]) was a German artist. He was born in Bromberg, Germany (now Bydgoszcz, Poland). He died in Berlin. Buchholz's artistic activity occurred mainly between 1919^[1] and 1925. In 1922, he created works such as *Circle of Ascent*, *Red Circle in Cold Circle*, and *Gold Square with Beaming Rays*. These pieces used oil paint and bronze powder on wood. A 1971 model, at a 1:10 ratio, recreated Buchholz's studio at Herkulesufer 15 from 1922. A special issue of *Eau de Cologne* (no. 1, 1968) was devoted to Buchholz's work from 1919 to 1925. A Galerie Daedalus Berlin exhibition, Erich Buchholz, ran from May 15 to June 20, 1971, and included an autobiographical text. A retrospective opened at Stadtisches Kunstmuseum, Dusseldorf, on December 17, 1978, and later travelled to other museums.
• Why are Erich Buchholz's works important today?+

  Erich Buchholz (1891^[1]-1972^[1]) was a German artist associated with Expressionism and Constructivism. Interest in Expressionism has grown since the 1950s, when critics and curators began to pay it more attention. One reason posited for this shift was the inspiration that first-generation Expressionism offered to the contemporary New York School, with American Abstract Expressionists seemingly evoking the Germans as precursors, although differing in spirit. Expressionism's influence extended beyond painting into literature, poetry and theatre. Expressionist drama assigned an important role to lyric poetry and stage techniques, influencing playwrights such as Bertolt Brecht. Buchholz's work can be seen in this context, as part of a wider Expressionist movement that experimented with abstraction, colour, and emotional expression. His work provides insights into the artistic debates and developments of the early 20th century, and into the Expressionist style, which aimed to express emotional qualities through forms and colours.
• What was Erich Buchholz's art style?+

  Erich Buchholz's art style was Constructivism, which was establishing itself as the dominant current in European abstraction during his artistic development. His panels use the contrast between matte oil and reflective metallic pigment to animate the geometry, making circles and rays appear to advance or recede depending on the viewer's angle.