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What You Need to Know: Bode Galerie, established in 1984, maintains a program dedicated to important contemporary, modern, and classic art—with a particular specialty in German avant-garde artists and early German modernism. On view through September 30, 2023, Bode Galerie’s location in Nuremberg, Germany, is presenting a selection of work in the historical group exhibition “The Pillars of Modernity.” The show features masterpieces by artists such as Max Ackermann, Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Otto Mueller, and more. Bringing together pieces by pivotal 20th-century German artists, the show illustrates the scope of modern artistic achievement that occurred through various moments and movements, including the interwar period and Expressionism.

Max Ackermann, Komposition II (1946). Courtesy of Bode Galerie.

Why We Like It: The influence of German artists working in the 20th century was extensive—and can still be seen through today. Working through periods of war and major social and political upheaval, these artists pioneered new ways of communicating through art, and developed now iconic modes of painting and composition. Within the exhibition at Bode Galerie, the vacillation between various forms of abstraction and expressionism demonstrates the fervent pursuit and exploration of art’s formal boundaries. The sheer range of artistic styles presented from this time and period is emphasized through the juxtaposition of paintings and styles, such as Max Ackermann’s modernist abstraction Komposition II (1946) with impressionistic and chromatic landscapes by Alexej von Jawlensky or Max Pechstein or the stylistic portraiture of Gabriele Münter. “The Pillars of Modernity” offers visitors a chance to explore the work of these leading modern artists, but also reflect on the effect of their practices on subsequent art history.

Alexej von Jawlensky, Landschaft Genfer See (1915). Courtesy of Bode Galerie.

According to the Gallery: “At the beginning of the last century, artists were faced with a multitude of societal challenges that shaped the 20th century. During this time, creative melting pots emerged that grappled with the major crises of this era. The works of the Expressionists, the Blue Rider group, the Bauhaus, and the Hölzel Circle are examples of how art acted as an honest and unflinching mirror of a society that sometimes no longer recognized itself… The radical courage with which these modern artists confronted destruction with creation not only moved the history of art but also world history.”

Max Pechstein, Steilküste und Sonnenspiegelung (1922). © Pechstein / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2023. Courtesy of Bode Galerie.

“The Pillars of Modernity” is on view at Bode Gallery, Nuremberg, through September 30, 2023.