The exhibition “Lovis Corinth — Then Came Berlin! (AT)” at the Berlinische Galerie puts one of the most influential painters of modernism in the spotlight. Lovis Corinth, born in Tapiau in 1858 and raised in East Prussia, moved from the more traditional Munich to the up-and-coming metropolis of Berlin in 1900. Corinth himself commented: “It all began in Berlin.” Here he not only found a progressive artistic environment, but also had a lasting influence on the Berlin art scene with his expressive brushstrokes and virtuoso use of colour.
The exhibition focuses on Corinth’s steep rise, his far-reaching influence in the capital and the private environment that inspired him. The exhibition promises new perspectives through separate chapters on lesser-known aspects of his life: his painting school, where he taught women in particular, and his contributions to Berlin theatre. To this day, his works are considered groundbreaking for spontaneous, emotional painting — an attitude that influenced artists such as the Berlin Junge Wilde, Georg Baselitz and Lucien Freud.
The Berlinische Galerie owns a high-calibre collection of Corinth paintings and is expanding its successful series on central protagonists of Berlin Modernism with this exhibition. Visitors can expect intensive insights into the life and work of a man who symbolises the awakening and diversity of the Berlin art world like no other.
