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Amidst the gentle rustle of looms, between small farmers and linen weavers, the talent of a man who was to engrave his name in the annals of Expressionist art blossomed in Werther on April 7, 1889: Peter August Böckstiegel. A man whose expressiveness and ambition form the foundation of our art printing, who reproduces his works with the same passion as he once created them. Böckstiegel's life was one of discovery and hardship, yet infused with an unparalleled passion for art. As a young man, he learned the trade of painter and glazier in Bielefeld. It was a visit to the Folkwang Museum in Essen in 1909, however, that ignited the spark within him and brought him into contact with the exciting developments in French painting. This spark ignited a fire in him, the flames of which were reflected in his earliest known professional works of the following year.
Thanks to a scholarship, he found himself at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts in 1913. Here he not only expanded his knowledge under the tutelage of Oskar Zwintscher and Otto Gussmann, but also formed a lifelong friendship with Conrad Felixmüller, whose sister Hanna would later become his wife. Despite the compulsion of military duty and the dangers of deployment to the Eastern Front, Böckstiegel's passion for art remained unshaken. In quiet moments between combat and comradeship, he found time to further develop his artistic abilities. Upon his return, after an odyssey that took him from Ukraine on an English warship back to Germany, he tied the knot with Hanna and began producing his first sculptures. These years were marked by his co-founding of the Dresden Secession and the Westphalian Secession. His experiences led to works that are unparalleled in their expressive power and are reproduced with the greatest care in the art print production of our house.
But Böckstiegel's career was also marked by the darkness of the Nazi era, when his art was branded "degenerate" and over a hundred of his works were confiscated. He experienced the destruction of his studio and the loss of hundreds of his works in the bombing of Dresden. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Böckstiegel mustered all his strength and saved his family and what was left of his artistic legacy. He opened a new studio in Werther and thus returned to his roots. Böckstiegel's death in 1951 left an invaluable collection of artworks and a legacy that resonates to this day. The foundation established by his family keeps his memory alive, promotes his work, and honors promising young artists in the East Westphalia-Lippe region. His story and his art are alive in the streets of Bielefeld and Dresden and, of course, in every art print of his work, which we produce with the utmost care and respect. A master of expressionist art, whose works have the power to move hearts and minds and endure the test of time.
Amidst the gentle rustle of looms, between small farmers and linen weavers, the talent of a man who was to engrave his name in the annals of Expressionist art blossomed in Werther on April 7, 1889: Peter August Böckstiegel. A man whose expressiveness and ambition form the foundation of our art printing, who reproduces his works with the same passion as he once created them. Böckstiegel's life was one of discovery and hardship, yet infused with an unparalleled passion for art. As a young man, he learned the trade of painter and glazier in Bielefeld. It was a visit to the Folkwang Museum in Essen in 1909, however, that ignited the spark within him and brought him into contact with the exciting developments in French painting. This spark ignited a fire in him, the flames of which were reflected in his earliest known professional works of the following year.
Thanks to a scholarship, he found himself at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts in 1913. Here he not only expanded his knowledge under the tutelage of Oskar Zwintscher and Otto Gussmann, but also formed a lifelong friendship with Conrad Felixmüller, whose sister Hanna would later become his wife. Despite the compulsion of military duty and the dangers of deployment to the Eastern Front, Böckstiegel's passion for art remained unshaken. In quiet moments between combat and comradeship, he found time to further develop his artistic abilities. Upon his return, after an odyssey that took him from Ukraine on an English warship back to Germany, he tied the knot with Hanna and began producing his first sculptures. These years were marked by his co-founding of the Dresden Secession and the Westphalian Secession. His experiences led to works that are unparalleled in their expressive power and are reproduced with the greatest care in the art print production of our house.
But Böckstiegel's career was also marked by the darkness of the Nazi era, when his art was branded "degenerate" and over a hundred of his works were confiscated. He experienced the destruction of his studio and the loss of hundreds of his works in the bombing of Dresden. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Böckstiegel mustered all his strength and saved his family and what was left of his artistic legacy. He opened a new studio in Werther and thus returned to his roots. Böckstiegel's death in 1951 left an invaluable collection of artworks and a legacy that resonates to this day. The foundation established by his family keeps his memory alive, promotes his work, and honors promising young artists in the East Westphalia-Lippe region. His story and his art are alive in the streets of Bielefeld and Dresden and, of course, in every art print of his work, which we produce with the utmost care and respect. A master of expressionist art, whose works have the power to move hearts and minds and endure the test of time.