Thursday, March 21st, from 6 p.m. to a lecture by Margret Heymann about the Sohn-Rethel painting family at the Ratingen Museum.
Rethelstrasse in Düsseldorf with its different facets should at least be known by name. What few people know today: It is named after Alfred Rethel (1816 – 1859), a graduate of the Düsseldorf Art Academy, who became famous for his cycle of frescoes in the coronation hall of the Aachen town hall. His daughter Else Rethel married the successful portrait painter Karl Rudolf Sohn in 1873.
Using letters and reports from descendants, Margret Heymann traces the different, eventful lives of the three sons Alfred, Otto and Karl and the daughter Mira of this middle-class Düsseldorf artist family – from 1875 through two world wars and National Socialism to 1966. The four children called themselves what the mother after her famous grandfather Sohn-Rethel, were well connected with the celebrities from art and science of their time, and shared a great passion and love for art.
Alfred lived for many years in Paris and in the Barbizon artists’ colony, later in Germany, Otto on Capri and Karli on the Amalfi Coast in Positano. The wealthy parents always supported their children generously, and so Alfred, Otto and Karli were able to concentrate fully on their art without financial worries and without distraction. That changed abruptly in 1933. Else Sohn died shortly before Hitler came to power. Not much remained of the Sohn family’s inheritance. The family home was destroyed by bombs during the war; Although most of the art objects could be relocated and saved beforehand, they had to be sold gradually and the proceeds distributed to the heirs. But the three didn’t complain. The only thing that was important to her was: enough paint, enough brushes and enough canvas to be able to paint.
Margret Heymann studied theater history and lives in Hamburg. She is invited to many cities in Germany as a speaker. Your book about the lecture was published in January 2024.
After the lecture, the circle of friends invites you to a get-together in the foyer of the museum. The event is open to the public and entry is free.
2024-03-11 14:02:09
#Lecture #Ratingen #Museum #painting #dynasty #Rhineland
