gallery portrait: Kunstverein Braunschweig

This Kunstverein in northern Germany had one of its high times when Karola Kraus still was called Karola Graesslin and shaped this institution - since mid 2007, she manages the Kunsthalle Baden-Baden. In her period the way for so many artistic career was prepared: Kunstverein Braunschweig presented in solo shows rather early female artists like Ulla von Brandenburg, Amelie von Wulffen, Judith Hopf, Rachel Khedoori and Paulina Olowska or male artists like Bas Jan Ader, Kai Althoff , Michael Beutler, Christopher Williams, Vincent Tavenne or Kalin Lindena. All enjoy today a great deal of attention in the art world. Hilke Wagner, the successor in the artistic direction, follows the successful concept of Karola Kraus. For collectors and art lovers, Braunschweig is because of its often outstanding Jahresgaben (art editions) since many years a fixed starting point.

Profile:
The Kunstverein Braunschweig, founded in 1832, is one of the most important art societies in Germany. In year four solo or group exhibitions, the art association presents significant positions in international contemporary art.
The promotion of young positions in the discourse of contemporary art is his primary objective. The Kunstverein Braunschweig sees itself as a living place of exchange and dialogue. The placement of the potential of contemporary art production is our main concern and we meet about the publication of exhibition catalogs, about lectures, artist talks and guided tours.
In 1996, the additional coach house was opened as an exhibition space. As a testing ground, this area is a platform for young artistic positions and curatorial projects.

Salve Hospes Villa
The Kunstverein Braunschweig was founded in 1832 as one of the first art societies in Germany. Since 1946 he resided at the Lessing place in the Villa Salve Hospes, which was built from 1805 to 1808 by the architect Peter Joseph Krahe as the private home of a merchant in the classical style. In its clear, simple concept of space it takes up the great tradition of Venetian villas of the Renaissance, and has the Villa Rotunda in Vicenza by Andrea Palladio as a concrete example.
The inner space design is based on a central room sequence and the resulting vertical and horizontal lines of sight. The defining feature of the house is the main entrance axis with respect to its scenic park from the entrance rotunda opens a spacious rectangular room that is sharing with three large windows looking on a raised terrace in the landscape. At the same time opens up the rotunda of the minor axes to the left and right side, enabling the tour of the house. The rotunda is a central starting and end point of these axes. On two floors will have about 400 square meters of exhibition space.

In the summer of 1999 the lower floor of the Villa Salve Hospes has been renovated with generous support from the city of Braunschweig and the Braunschweiger Vereinigten Kloster- und Studienfonds. The Austrian artist Heimo Zobernig was invited to design the reception area of the rotunda and set up a cafe. For this permanent installation is one of the chandeliers of the Cologne based artist Joseph Zehrer.

Haus Salve Hospes, Vorderansicht, Foto: Thomas Müller

Contact Information

Gallery Kunstverein Braunschweig
Lessingplatz 12
38100 Braunschweig (DE)

Phone:	+49 531 49556
Fax:	+49 531 124737
info@kunstverein-bs.de
www.kunstverein-bs.de

Opening Time:
Tu-Su 11-17h, Th -20h

Ausstellungseröffnung: Ivan Moudov. Trick or Treat (5. Dezember 2008), Wine for Openings

List of all Exhibitor Portraits


Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venedig		May, 2011
MUMOK, Vienna, with new face		December, 2010
Villa Grisebach, Berlin		September, 2010
Nusser & Baumgart, Munich		August, 2010
Kunsthaus Lempertz, Cologne		May, 2010
Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris Miami		April, 2010
Kunstverein Braunschweig		April, 2010
Galerie Jahn Baaderstraße		January, 2010
Gallery Emmanuel Walderdorff, Cologne		November, 2009
Ulrike Adler, Frankfurt		October, 2009
Dina4 Projekte, Munich		August, 2009
SAKAMOTOcontemporary, Berlin		July, 2009