Given that Ludwig Roselius’ cultural ambitions corresponded with a passionate interest in collecting and resulted in museum projects in Böttcherstrasse, it is quite astonishing that he assigned such demanding tasks to full-time amateurs rather than employing specialists in the field. This was true of the establishment of Roselius House and Paula Becker-Modersohn House, ultimately and above all also for the Museum Väterkunde (“ancestry lore museum”) in Atlantis House, for which the lack of expertise was to have fatal consequences. Management of the exhibition centres in Worpswede was also left to trusted employees of many years like Martin Goldyga, whom he met and grew to appreciate via Bernhard Hoetger and who, as an employee of Seehandel AG (later Seehandel GmbH), managed the Große Kunstschau Worpswede (Great Worspwede Art Exhibition) until the 1960s.
Philippine Scholz, who was born in 1877 and grew up in an orphanage, played a special role here and there. After marrying Franz Vogeler, a brother of the artist Heinrich Vogeler, she became the most important gallery owner in the history of Worspwede, not least thanks to the favour and support of Ludwig Roselius. Franz Vogeler married the 25-year-old from Bremen in 1902 and attempted to convert an old country estate in Adiek near the town of Zeven into a modern poultry farm together with her and his brother Eduard’s family. Despite being successful, it was ultimately not capable of providing for both families. The couple thus returned to Worpswede in 1903, where they ran Heinrich Vogeler’s business and moved into the upper floor of the former carriage house in Villa Monsees two years later with the aim of „creating exhibition options for the works of the artists“.25 Jahre Kunsthalle Vogeler in Worpswede, in: Bremer Nachrichten 03/04/1931. The following year, the couple was granted permission for the planned remodelling work and setting up of exhibition and sales rooms. Their private limited company Kunst und Kunstgewerbehaus Worpswede (Worpswede Arts and Handicrafts) opened at Easter 1906 as a summer gallery with a wide range of locally produced art and handicrafts, especially pieces by Heinrich Vogeler, who found in his sister-in-law solid and lasting support for the sale of his own works. This first gallery in Worpswede became not only an important centre for the exhibition of the artists’ colony’s own works but also an economic forum organising or initiating the sale of Worpswede works. Without the connection to Philine Vogeler, Ludwig Roselius would scarcely have amassed his collection of Paula Modersohn-Becker’s works. In 1908, Kunst und Kunstgewerbehaus Worpswede held its first memorial exhibition for the artist, who had passed away the previous year, and the collection was systematically built up for Roselius as of 1915 with Philine’s help.
Furniture designed by Heinrich Vogeler enjoyed increasing popularity both in the area and further afield after the turn of the century, leading to the founding in 1908 of the Worpsweder Werkstätten (Worpswede Workshops) by the Vogeler brothers in nearby Tarmstedt, where the transport connections were better. Franz Vogeler ran the business while Philine grew more and more responsible for the art trade and gallery in Worpswede; her expertise was valued and sought after by local artists and later also by collectors such as Ludwig Roselius. In 1912, her husband suffered a physical breakdown, resulting in the temporary closure of the exhibition centre; the rooms were rented out to the sculptor Heinrich Seekamp. In August 1914, the three Vogeler brothers volunteered for military service; Franz Vogeler died on the Eastern Front in May of the following year. Philine remained an intermediary and person of trust for her brother-in-law, accompanying his fateful path when he returned from the Great War as an attentive observer. “Heinrich is painting a little, but I have not seen him happy,” she wrote to Ludwig Roselius in May 1922.
- „creating exhibition options for the works of the artists“.25 Jahre Kunsthalle Vogeler in Worpswede, in: Bremer Nachrichten 03/04/1931.
With her advice and thanks to her connections, she consolidated the bond between the patron and Worpswede, proving indispensable for building up the collections in Böttcherstrasse. Roselius saw works by Paula Modersohn-Becker, whose important intermediary in that decade was Philine Vogeler, for the first time at an exhibition with works by Bernhard Hoetger in 1914. The business and also private relationship with the gallery owner grew ever closer, with Roselius granting her almost unlimited authority and entrusting her with “the overall management of the Bremen Art Exhibition in Böttcherstrasse”Bremer Volkszeitung, 02–03/04/1931 in 1926. In 1928, she was appointed managing director of Bremer Werkschau GmbH, with the key task of setting up the Paula Becker-Modersohn House as a museum. The first floor became home to a Vogeler Room with major works by her brother-in-law, including ‘Der Sommerabend’ (The Summer Evening), ‘Sehnsucht’ (Desire) and ‘Heilige drei Könige’ (Three Wise Men), which were in the Roselius collection not least thanks to her role as an intermediary. The Worspwede Hall housed the collection of Heinrich Vogeler’s colleagues and the Lower Saxony Hall contained approximately 30 works by contemporary Worpswede artists such as Walter Bertelsmann, Robert Koepke and Alfred Kollmar. Roselius wrote to Heinrich Vogeler in 1922: “I consider it my duty to preserve for posterity a section of the artistic life that has evolved here in this great period.”Ludwig Roselius to Heinrich Vogeler, 21/03/1922 In 1931, once the collection rooms were almost completely furnished, predominantly with Philine’s help, the collector noted with satisfaction: “Böttcherstrasse is now truly becoming what I had envisioned. Even those who have accompanied its development will marvel.”Ludwig Roselius to Philine Vogeler 07/04/1931
- “the overall management of the Bremen Art Exhibition in Böttcherstrasse”Bremer Volkszeitung, 02–03/04/1931
- “I consider it my duty to preserve for posterity a section of the artistic life that has evolved here in this great period.”Ludwig Roselius to Heinrich Vogeler, 21/03/1922
- “Böttcherstrasse is now truly becoming what I had envisioned. Even those who have accompanied its development will marvel.”Ludwig Roselius to Philine Vogeler 07/04/1931
The building constructed by Bernhard Hoetger on the corner of Bergstrasse/Lindenallee in 1928 for the weaver Elisabeth Vatheuer, originally from Westphalia, was acquired in 1929 by Ludwig Roselius and transferred to Philine Vogeler as a branch of the art department in Böttcherstrasse: the Kunsthalle Philine Vogeler (Philine Vogeler Art Gallery). From that time, the gallery owner spent her summers in Worpswede and the winter months in Bremen to take care of the Werkschau. She worked independently in Worpswede but was bound in business to Böttcherstrasse: an agreement regarding running of the gallery concluded in 1930 – sometimes revised but continued in principle – stipulated a 50% share of all income from the art trade for Seehandel AG as well as the sharing of general business expenses.
Philine Vogeler became irreplaceable for everything that linked Worpswede and Böttcherstrasse as a widely respected figure, a discoverer of new talented artists and an intermediary of a high-quality tradition of visual arts across the whole of northern Germany. “Philine was an intelligent, endearing person,” wrote Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe in ‘Erinnerungen an Worpswede’ (Memories of Worspwede). In 1933, she was offered the opportunity to take over the art exhibition in Böttcherstrasse and run it independently – with all the associated benefits and risks. However, Philine declined, saying a proposal of that kind was “probably not feasible”Philine Vogeler to Heinz Puvogel, 13/4/1933 . In the same year, the gallery owner became a member of the Militant League for German Culture, Worpswede Chapter, complied with the regulations of the Nazi authorities and adapted her exhibition programme to suit their instructions: expressionists like Bram van Velde, Karl Jakob Hirsch and the couple Paul and Hilde Hamann, whom she had previously promoted, were no longer shown. She also permitted the painter Carl Emil Uphoff, as a representative of the Nazi organisation Strength Through Joy, to inspect the exhibition rooms regularly in his party uniform and make his own private determinations regarding “degenerate art”. In the retrospective on Worpswede Kunst (Worpswede Art) in summer 1940, she presented 14 copperplate engravings by Carl Emil Uphoff from his portfolio ‘Der Führer spricht’ (The Führer speaks).
- “probably not feasible”Philine Vogeler to Heinz Puvogel, 13/4/1933
In 1936, in the thirtieth year of her gallery’s existence, she applied for admission to the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts, and from that point on she was accountable to the Regional Director Weser-Ems for her exhibition activities. In 1937, as objection to Böttcherstrasse became more and more fierce, not least due to Adolf Hitler’s allegations, Philine Vogeler courageously petitioned the regional director for permission to hang her brother-in-law’s paintings again and – quasi as deterrent examples – make them accessible to the public. “That this would actually only serve to instruct is obvious from the following fact: the painting ‘Kommunismus’ (Communism) was reproduced at the time and appeared on the cover of a book by Ludwig RoseliusLudwig Roselius gegen Heinrich Vogeler - Kommunismus? Bremen 1919 , in which he pointed out the inevitable, horrific consequences of communism for humanity and fought against communism with all his might.”Philine Vogeler to H. Fricke, Regional Director Weser-Ems of the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts, 02/11/1937 The well-intentioned attempt was unsuccessful; the President of the Reich Chamber’s ordersH.Fricke to the Bremen Art Exhibition, 20/01/1938 left no room for interpretation: “Vogeler’s paintings ‘Trauer’‘Das Leiden der Frau im Kriege’ (The Suffering of Women in Wartime), 1918, which had been in the collection since 1921. Roselius had already conceded to the painter shortly after the end of the war: “Your paintings express the horrifying misery that has befallen mankind.” (Mourning), ‘Zusammenbruch des Christentums’ (Collapse of Christianity) and ‘Kommunismus’ (Communism) must be removed”; and “the non-public collection of Paula Becker-Modersohn’s works must be made inaccessible to the public.”
Following World War II and the death of Ludwig Roselius, Philine Vogeler continued to run the gallery after the building that still bears her name today was returned to her in 1944. The first post-war exhibition with works by Paula Modersohn-Becker from the Roselius collection was held there in 1946. Between the end of the war and the currency reform, the gallery was virtually idle; there were few visitors and the poor supply situation meant that there was very little on offer: materials had to be procured in advance for handicrafts and even paper for prints. However, the situation hardly improved even after the currency changeover; in 1949, income totalled only around DM 40 per month. “A Sunday with a dozen visitors and perhaps DM 20 in turnover has become a frequent occurrence in recent times.”Philine Vogeler to Edgar Puvogel, 10/05/1949
The gallery owner continued to live with her son Eduard and a housekeeper in the side building of the former weaving mill until the end of her life in 1952. Five years later, the art gallery was renamed “Galerie Worpswede” (Worpswede Gallery) and placed under the management of art historian Hans Herman Rief, until the business proved no longer profitable for the management of Böttcherstrasse and the building was sold to the municipality of Worpswede.
- on the cover of a book by Ludwig RoseliusLudwig Roselius gegen Heinrich Vogeler - Kommunismus? Bremen 1919
- and fought against communism with all his might.”Philine Vogeler to H. Fricke, Regional Director Weser-Ems of the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts, 02/11/1937
- the President of the Reich Chamber’s ordersH.Fricke to the Bremen Art Exhibition, 20/01/1938
- ‘Trauer’‘Das Leiden der Frau im Kriege’ (The Suffering of Women in Wartime), 1918, which had been in the collection since 1921. Roselius had already conceded to the painter shortly after the end of the war: “Your paintings express the horrifying misery that has befallen mankind.”
- “A Sunday with a dozen visitors and perhaps DM 20 in turnover has become a frequent occurrence in recent times.”Philine Vogeler to Edgar Puvogel, 10/05/1949
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Bernd Küster