7184 - Guest Book - Guest Book

Guest Book - Guest Book Two guest books from the Bremer Gallery, 1947–1949 Approx. 51 and 52 sheets of machine-made paper, respectively, of which approx. 48 and 51 pages, respectively, are written on in pencil. Both in cardboard covers. 1947–49. 23.3 x 14.5 cm. Apart from Galerie Rosen, only a handful of other private galleries shaped the early years of Berlin’s postwar art scene. One year after Rosen, Galerie Anja Bremer opened its doors on October 13, 1946. Without competing with Rosen, Bremer carried out equally significant pioneering work in promoting contemporary art after the war and played a key role in satisfying people’s insatiable hunger for literature, art, and theater. The artistic circle around Bremer overlapped in part with the artists at Galerie Rosen (see Lot 7164); the early exhibitions initially drew on pre-war Expressionist modernism, but works by younger artists were also consistently featured. Anja Bremer was by no means born into the art world, which makes her achievement as a successful gallery owner during those years all the more deserving of respect. After completing a banking apprenticeship and working in the United States, she returned to Berlin by the mid-1940s at the latest. As a neighbor of Maria Blumenthal, the wife of sculptor Hermann Blumenthal, she came into contact with the Klosterstraße studio collective, which also included Käthe Kollwitz and whose circle counted artists such as Werner Heldt and Werner Gilles among its members. Bremer was thus able to build a valuable network even before the end of the war. In 1949, following the currency reform, she was forced to close for financial reasons and reopened in 1950 at a new location at Meinekestraße 4, where she continued to organize regular exhibitions—sometimes at longer intervals—featuring renowned artists. A final move followed in 1955, and Bremer, together with her partner Rudolf van der Lak, moved into business premises at 37 Fasanenstrasse, directly on Fasanenplatz, where architect Hans Scharoun designed a club room with a bar. The gallery, along with the club room, remained a hub of Berlin’s art scene there well into the 2000s. For the gallery’s early years, from 1947 to 1949, both guest books serve as valuable documents and, in a sense, a testament to its significance in Berlin as a city of art. Among the signatures—some accompanied by addresses—are the following names, among others: Rudolf Ausleger, Will Grohmann, Werner Heldt, Karl Hofer, Wolf Hoffmann, Hans Jaenisch, Brigitte Kaus, Max Kaus, Hans Laabs, Otto Niemeyer-Holstein, Edwin Redslob, Friedrich Seidenstücker, Hans Thiemann, Heinz Trökes, Woty Werner, and many more. Provenance: Estate of Galerie Bremer Private collection, Berlin - Please request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is only listed in the catalog in exceptional cases. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.