“In those days, it took a lot of courage, even more so for a woman, to become involved with artists whose work was generally described by the public as nothing more than ‘pencil-wasting rage.’ Rosa Schapire had this courage.” Die Welt

One of the earliest supporters of the Die Brücke group of artists was the Hamburg-based art historian Rosa Schapire (1874–1954). She made it her lifelong task to fight untiringly for recognition of the avant-garde, in particular Expressionism. She became close friends with Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Erich Heckel, but Franz Radziwill and the Hamburg Secessionists also profited from her enormous commitment. Schapire worked on exhibitions in reputable galleries, regularly published articles, and supported the acquisition of Expressionist works by large museums by founding the Frauenbund zur Förderung deutscher bildender Kunst (The Women’s Association for the Advancement of German Visual Arts).

Comprising circa 130 paintings, prints, artists’ postcards and magazines, photographs, jewelry, and personal correspondence, the volume acknowledges Rosa Schapire’s life and work. Distinguished art scholars describe her commitment, her collection, and the reception of the great patron and apologist for modern German art and trace the Jewish art historian’s life from her homeland in East Galicia to her exile inLondon.

Exhibition schedule: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, August 28–November 15, 2009| Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Chemnitz, December 6, 2009–February 21, 2010

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