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LOSANGELESCOUNTYMUSEUMOFART 6&5 5 0715 01051209 5 xpressionistUto MRM PARADISE, METROPOLIS, fflfc 1 henotionofUtopiaexistsineveryculture, cap- turingshareddreamsandcommongoals. Meaning paradoxicallyboth"noplace"and"agoodplace," utopiaalsochallengeshumanitytobringthisdreaminto existence. Ifalltheartsofferarealmoffantasywhere Utopianidealscanbeembodiedandshared, thenarchitec- tureisespeciallycaptivating, inpartbecauseitprovides thecommunalspacesofcultural identity—meetingrooms, religiousstructures, andgovernmentbuildings—andpre- sentstheopportunitytoconceiveandbuildanewenviron- mentforhumanity. Thisvolumewaspreparedinconjunctionwiththe exhibitionExpressionist Utopias:Paradise, Metropolis, ArchitecturalFantasy, organizedbytheLosAngeles CountyMuseumofArt. Theexhibitionexploreshowthe optimisticandforward-lookingthemesofutopiaand fantasysustainedfaithamongartistsandarchitectsinthe powerofarttoshapeabetterworldduringthetumultuous erasurroundingWorldWarIinGermany. Whenthe constructionofbuildingstherebecamenearlyimpossible, paperbecamethemediumoftheunbridledimagination. Atthecenterofthisactivitywerethe"utopianarchitects" oftheWorkingCouncilforArtandtheCrystalChain, whosearchitectural inventionsrangedfromidealagrarian communitiestofuturisticworldsdependentonmiraculous advancesintechnologyfortheircreationordiscovery. Theexhibition'scurator, TimothyO. Benson, presentsthe diversemanifestationsoftheutopiametaphorinitspro- gressionthroughoutExpressionismfromarcadian toman- madeUtopiasusingselectionsfromtherealmsofparadise, metropolis, architecturalfantasy, anti-utopia, andfilm andstage. InhisintroductoryessayinthisvolumeBensonargues thattheimageryofUtopiainearlymodernismwastrans- formedfroma nostalgicparadise"discovered"innature toaconditionthatcouldbe"constructed"inculture. Reinhold HellerexaminestheDresden Bruckeartists' integrationofartandlifeinbothnatureandthestudio usingparadisiacalimageryofthenude. DavidFrisbyshows howExpressionistartbecamearesponsiveembodiment ofthedisunifiedexperienceofthemetropolis, leadingto autopianvisionofthefutureimbeddedinthefragmentary present. IainBoydWhyteseestheRomanticheritage ofthesublimeexpandingfromitsassociationwithnature tobecomeidentifiedwiththeprocessesandproductsof continued on..,h,qck flap Utop Cxprcssionist las OKu/AZTN /El DZU R-MichAEl expressionist Utopias PARADISE METROPOLIS ARCHITECTURAL FANTASY + * Timothy O. Benson With contributions by David Frisby Reinhold Heller Anton Kaes Iain Boyd Whyte LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART HannahHoch RaumfiircinKabarett, 1924-25 (Roomforacabaret) Cat. no. 01 LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt Cover: Frontispiece: October21, 1993-January2, 1994 CarlKrayl OskarSchlemmer PublishedbytheLosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt, KosmischerBan, c. 1919-20 Utopia: Dokumenteder (Cosmicbuilding) Wirklichkeit, 1921 5905WilshireBoulevard, LosAngeles,California90036. Cat. no. 125 (Utopia:Documentsofreality) DistributedbyUniversityofWashingtonPress, P.O. Box 50096, Detail Cat. no. 190 Seattle, Washington98145-5096. Copyright© 1993byMuseumAssociates, LosAngelesCounty MuseumofArt. Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthecontentsof LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublication Data thisbookmaybereproducedwithoutthewrittenpermissionof thepublisher. Benson,TimothyO., 1950- Thisbookwaspublishedinconjunctionwiththeexhibition ExpressionistUtopias:paradise, metropolis, architecturalfantasy/ Expressionist Utopias: Paradise, Metropolis, ArchitecturalFantasy, TimothyO. Benson;withcontributionsbyDavidFrisby... [etal.]. whichwasorganizedbytheLosAngelesCountyMuseumofArtand p. cm. mthaedNeatpoisosniablleEnbydogrwamnetsntfrfoomrtthheeHNuamtiaonniatlieEsn,dtohwemFeendetraflorRtehpeuAbrltisc, AngPeulbelsisChoeudnitnycoMnujsunecutmioonfwAirtthOacnt.ex2h1ib1i9t9i3o-nJahenl.d2a,t1t9h9e4L.os Includesbibliographical referencesandindex. ofGermany, theHarryandYvonneLenartCharitableFoundation, ISBN0-295-97324-2(hardbound UniversityofWashington andtheAndrewW. MellonFoundation. : Press) EditedbyKarenJacobson 1. Expressionism(Art)—Germany—Exhibitions. 2. Art, DesignedbyRobinWeiss German—Exhibitions. 3. Art, Modern—20th century—Germany— TextcomposedinElectraandBankGothicbyOnLineTypography, Exhibitions. I. Frisby, David. II. LosAngelesCountyMuseumof San Francisco Art. III. Title. DisplaytypecomposedinKochAntiquaonaMacintoshIlex N6868.5.E9B46 1993 PrintedbyTypecraft, Inc.,Pasadena, California 709'-43'o7479493—dc20 93-33948 CIP LIBRARY LOSANGELES C9UNTV MUSEUM Of AST 1 c ontents 6 Foreword 8 Introduction 12 Fantasyand Functionality:The Fate ofUtopia TimothyO. Benson 56 Plates: Paradise 62 Bridgeto Utopia: The Briicke as Utopian Experiment ReinholdHeller 84 Plates: Metropolis 88 Social Theory, the Metropolis, and Expressionism David Frisby 112 Plates: Architectural Fantasy 118 The Expressionist Sublime Jain Boyd Whyte 138 Plates: Film and Stage 146 Metropolis: City, Cinema, Modernity Anton Kaes 166 Plates: Anti-Utopia 7 Catalogue ofthe Exhibition 1 261 Appendix: Essays, Articles, Manifestos, Letters, and OtherWritings 307 Selected Bibliography 315 Acknowledgments 318 Lenders tothe Exhibition 319 PhotoCredits 320 Index orcvvorJ expressionist Utopias: Paradise, Metropolis, ArchitecturalFantasypresents an often overlookedaspectofGerman Expressionistart. In the firstdecades of thiscenturyExpressionistartistsandarchitectsproduced images ofa new- architectureand ofplannedcitieswhereharmonious and justsocialconditions prevailed. Theycreated thesevisionaryprints, drawings, andwatercolors in therecognitionthattheireffortsforthebettermentoftheworld mustbeginwith changes within themselves, theirart, and existingsocial institutions. Howeverunrealizablethese projects mayhavebeen, theysuggestedamorehumanevisionofwhatmightbeaccom- plished, fromwhichwecan still drawinspirationasweapproachthe nextmillennium. Thisexhibition continuesthe importantcommitmenttotheGermancultural heritage madebythemuseum overthepastdecade. In 1987 the RobertGore RifkindCenterfor GermanExpressionistStudieswas opened, andthetwo-volumescholarlycatalogue Ger- man ExpressionistPrintsandDrawings: TheRobertGoreRifkindCenterforGerman ExpressionistStudieswas published. The museum hasexaminedvariousaspectsof Expressionism in theexhibitionsGerman ExpressionistSculpture, German Expressionism 1Q15-1Q25: TheSecondGeneration, TheApocalypticLandscapesofLudwigMeidner, and "DegenerateArt": TheFateoftheAvant-Garde in Nazi Germany. OrganizedbyTimothyBenson, associatecuratorofthe Rifkind StudyCenter, the presentexhibition benefited immenselyfrom thecenter'sholdingsand from the resource collectionsandvisitingscholarsprogram oftheGettyCenterforthe HistoryofArtand the Humanities. Several oftheGettyscholarshavebeen involved inthisprojectsinceits inception, amongthemAnton Kaesand Iain BoydWhyte, whocontributed essaysto thisvolume. Norwould thisexhibition—with itscatalogue, educational programs, andotherrelated events—havebeen possiblewithoutthegeneroussupportofthe National Endowmentfor the HumanitiesandtheNational EndowmentfortheArts. Additionalsupportwas received from the Federal RepublicofGermany, andwearegrateful to Dr. Cornell Metternich, consul general; Dr. Stefan Schliiter, deputyconsul;andhispredecessor, Tius Fischer, for theirefforts in securingthisfunding. Wearealsograteful totheHarryandYvonne Lenart CharitableFoundationandtheAndrewW. Mellon Foundation fortheirsupport. Finally weareespeciallyindebtedtothemanylendersofoftenfragilematerialswhoarelisted on page 318;withouttheirgenerositythisprojectwouldscarcelyhavebeenpossible. MICHAEL E. SHAPIRO Director LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt