The anniversary exhibition ‘KRIEG – UND FRIEDEN? (War – and Peace?) 100 Years of Bernhard Heisig 1925-2025′ at Schloss Sacrow (Sacrow Castle) near Potsdam celebrates the artistic legacy of Bernhard Heisig (1925-2011), one of the most important painters in German post-war history. It will be held from 26 April to 22 June 2025 in the historic setting of Schloss Sacrow to mark Bernhard Heisig’s 100th birthday (31 March). The exhibition is curated and presented by CSR.ART, and shown by ars sacrow e.V.. With around 60 paintings and 100 drawings and prints, including three preparatory drawings for the famous portrait of the former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, Schloss Sacrow will become a place of intensive exploration of the central themes in Bernhard Heisig’s work: war, trauma, moral responsibility and the political history of the 20th century.
Image above: Bernhard Heisig, Schutzversuche mit Musik (Protection attempts with music), (detail), 1997, oil on canvas, 150 x 70 cm, photo: 360degrees.art
On 31 March 2025, the painter Bernhard Heisig would have been 100 years old. As a co-founder of the Leipzig School, Heisig is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His works were created in the field of tension between war, dictatorship and social change – topics that could not be more relevant today. The works reflect not only his personal experiences as a former war volunteer during the Second World War, later as director of the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig and functionary in the GDR, but also the collective traumas of German history.
In particular, his intense struggle with the horrors of war and his examination of the moral responsibility of an artist in a politically charged environment make his works an indispensable contribution to German art and remembrance culture.
‘I would have liked to have painted friendlier pictures’ is the title of one of Bernhard Heisig’s later works. A title that seems like a résumé – self-confident, defiant and resigned at the same time. Bernhard Heisig, this great German painter, was a figure of the century, a contemporary witness par excellence, a moralist by experience.
– Wolfgang Thierse, former President of the German Bundestag,
in his eulogy for Bernhard Heisig, 2011
Biography
Bernhard Heisig was born in Breslau (Lower Silesia) in 1925 and attended the local arts and crafts school at the age of 16 until he joined the Waffen-SS as a volunteer in 1942 and subsequently took part in the Battle of the Bulge and the battles for ‘Fortress Breslau’. He was taken prisoner of war by the Soviets and was released to Breslau as an invalid in 1945, aged just 20.
Bernhard Heisig would later process his traumatic war experiences in impressive works of art. According to his wife, the painter Gudrun Brüne, he did not talk about them until the end of his life. ‘The great theme of his art was conflict. Even when my husband painted still lifes, even the flowers in the vase struggled with each other,’ said Brüne in an interview with the art magazine DEEDS.NEWS in 2023.
From 1948, Heisig studied art in Leipzig, which he discontinued in 1951. In the same year, Heisig married his first wife Brunhilde Eisler, with whom he had two sons, Johannes (Heisig) and Walter (Eisler), who later became artists themselves. The marriage ended in divorce in 1956. Heisig worked as a freelance artist until 1954, when he was called to the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, where he was elected rector in 1961.
In the GDR, Bernhard Heisig rose to become an important state artist and functionary, challenged by the moral balancing act between artistic self-discovery and state-commissioned painting. In 1964, at the fifth Congress of the Association of Visual Artists (VBK), Heisig clearly criticised the cultural policy of the SED and the GDR government. In particular, he focussed on the results of the so-called ‘Bitterfeld Way’. This state programme was intended to promote a kind of socialist national culture, with artists and writers working in factories and supporting the workers in their own artistic activities. The aim was to integrate culture more closely into the socialist system after the economy and politics. Due to his critical stance, Bernhard Heisig was dismissed as rector in Leipzig. Nevertheless, he remained at the university – as a lecturer and as head of the Department of Graphics and Painting.
In 1961, Heisig met Gudrun Brüne, who studied painting with him and became his second wife three decades later. In 1968, Heisig ended his work as a lecturer at the art academy due to increasing dogmatism and from then on devoted himself to freelance painting, in which he mainly created large, historical-political and social panoramas in the tradition of Max Beckmann and Oskar Kokoschka. In 1971 he was rehabilitated under Erich Honecker and in 1972 he once again took over the chairmanship of the Association of Visual Artists in the Leipzig district. In 1974, he was appointed Vice President of the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR. In this year, he was also commissioned to paint the mural ‘Yesterday and in our time’ in the Leipzig district leadership of the SED (which he partially painted over in 2005 shortly before the start of the Leipzig retrospective Die Wut der Bilder). In 1976, Heisig returned to Leipzig University, where he once again became rector. Eleven years later, he handed over the reins to his student Arno Rink. During this time, he also influenced the internationally renowned painter Neo Rauch, who was Heisig’s master student from 1986 to 1990 and his assistant from 1993 to 1998.
Bernhard Heisig achieved particular fame in what was then West Germany in 1986 when former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt had his portrait painted by the then already renowned GDR painter and professor – a statement and a piece of anticipated reunification on canvas. In 1989, Heisig returned the GDR National Prizes he had been awarded in 1972 and 1978 in protest against the policies of the GDR leadership and resigned from the SED in December 1989. Since 1992 he has lived and worked together with Gudrun Brüne in a double studio in Strodehne in the Havelland district of Brandenburg.
Leipzig School
Bernhard Heisig is regarded as one of the founders and leading representatives of the Leipzig School, a movement of modern painting from the 1970s to the 1980s, which originated in the 1960s from painters predominantly active in Leipzig and turned this city into a respected centre of art. Across styles and generations, the Leipzig School stands for a high artistic standard, combined with a conscious social analysis, executed with remarkable craftsmanship. Together with Hans Mayer-Foreyt, Werner Tübke and Wolfgang Mattheuer, Bernhard Heisig is counted among the founders of the Leipzig School. In addition to addressing his own, primarily war-related experiences, he intensively explored cultural history, literature, theatre and music in search of identification figures – and possibly also absolution. He brought these inner struggles openly and honestly to the screen.
Bernhard Heisig knew how to combine technical brilliance, innovative formal language and depth of content like no other. His painting style is characterised by an expressive, dynamic style of representation with high-contrast colours and a profound examination of social and political themes. His ability to fuse classical painting traditions with modern themes while capturing the spirit of the times speaks to an artist who not only reflects his own time, but can also inspire future generations. This combination of technical excellence, intellectual acuity and lasting cultural influence establish Bernhard Heisig as an exceptional artist of his time.
The anniversary exhibition at Schloss Sacrow
The anniversary exhibition at Schloss Sacrow presents a carefully curated selection of around 60 paintings from rarely shown loans and family possessions, as well as 100 graphic works, including preparatory drawings for Helmut Schmidt’s famous portrait of the Chancellor. In addition, works by Bernhard Heisig’s family are on display on the upper floor of Sacrow Castle, providing an extended view of his artistic environment and a unique insight into the family’s artistic dynamics. Photographs from the former photography class at Leipzig University and from the private archive round off the exhibition.
The aim of the exhibition is to illuminate the work of Bernhard Heisig as a mirror of German history and its artistic treatment. The idea behind the exhibition is to go beyond the mere contemplation of art and enable visitors to reflect deeply on the moral responsibility of the artist and creator of art in times of war and peace. The importance of art as a means of coming to terms with the past, as an aid to decision-making for the present and future, and as a contribution to social dialogue is emphasised.
About ars sacrow and CSR.ART
KRIEG – UND FRIEDEN? is an exhibition by CSR.ART, which is being shown by the ars sacrow e.V. association at Schloss Sacrow. CSR.ART (Contemporary Show Room) is an initiative of the non-profit organisation DEEDS.LAB gUG in Berlin, which is dedicated to promoting art and culture. In temporary exhibitions at changing locations, CSR.ART presents works by artists regardless of age, origin or gender in order to promote intercultural and intellectual exchange. The Sacrow Palace and the surrounding park with the Heilandskirche, a church on the banks of the Havel, are part of the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten (Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation) and have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. Ars sacrow e. V. was founded in 2002 to preserve the cultural monuments in Potsdam-Sacrow. The association is committed to the long-term public accessibility, restoration and revitalisation of the church, castle and castle park. Since 2002, the castle has been used as a venue for exhibitions, readings, film screenings, concerts etc. during the summer months.
2025 – The Bernhard Heisig year
Further themed exhibitions in the Bernhard Heisig Year 2025 will be held in museums in Augsburg (Glaspalast/Galerie Noah), Leipzig (Museum der Bildenden Künste), Regensburg (Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie), Erfurt (Angermuseum) and Ahrenshoop (Kunstmuseum).
WHEN?
Opening:
Friday, 25. April 2024, from 3:00 pm into the evening
Exhibition dates:
Saturday, 26 April to Sunday, 22 June 2025
open Fri, Sat, Sun, 11 am – 6 pm
(last admission 5.30 pm)
WHERE?
Schloss Sacrow
Krampnitzer Str. 33
14469 Potsdam
COSTS?
8 EUR
5 EUR reduced
free admission for pupils
