Kurt Martin (31 January 1899 – 27 January 1975) was a German art historian. His career began in 1927 as curator of the . From 1934 to 1956, he was director of the Staatlichen Kunsthalle Karlsruhe (National Art Gallery Karlsruhe). In 1940 he was appointed Head of the Municipal Museums of Strasbourg as well as Chief Commissioner of the Alsatian Museums. In 1956 he became Director of the Karlsruher Kunstakademie (Academy of Art Karlsruhe), and in 1957 General Director of the Bayerischen Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collection). He was also a professor of art history.
Early life and education Kurt Martin was born on 31 January 1899 in Zürich, Switzerland, the third son of Rudolf Martin (1864–1925), professor of anthropology from Baden, and his wife Anna Hein (1865–1940). In Zürich, he attended elementary school before changing to the École Nouvelle in Lausanne and later to a secondary school in Karlsruhe. There he passed his Abitur (final secondary school examinations) in 1917.
He served as a soldier in World War I.Tessa Friederike Rosebrock: "Kurt Martin und das Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. Museums- und Ausstellungspolitik im 'Dritten Reich‘ und in der unmittelbaren Nachkriegszeit", (Kurt Martin and the Fine Arts Museum in Strasbourg. Exhibition and Museum Policies in the Third Reich and right after the war) Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2012, p. 48
In 1920 he started his philosophy studies (among others with Martin Heidegger and Edmund Husserl) and majored in art history (with Hans Jantzen) at the University of Freiburg. He completed his art studies in 1924 at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München with Heinrich Wölfflin (1864–1945) with his PhD thesis on the subject of "Die Nürnberger Steinplastik im 14. Jahrhundert" (The Nuremberger Effigy in the 14th century).
Career 1927–1934: Mannheim and Baden State Museum
Martin started his career in 1927 as a volunteer at the Kunsthalle Mannheim (Art Gallery Mannheim) with Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub. Soon he was appointed research assistant and subsequently curator at the Badisches Landesmuseum (Baden State Museum), Karlsruhe. In 1931 he addressed himself to the task of organizing the exhibition "German Poets as Painters and Drawers" for the Kunstverein (art society) Heidelberg.
Badisches Armeemuseum
In the early 1930s Martin met Robert Wagner, a confidant of Adolf Hitler and NSDAP politician with whom Martin would have to do until 1945.Ernst Klee: "Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich". Wer war was vor und nach 1945. (Dictionary of the people of the Third Reich. Who was who before and after 1945) Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 2nd updated edition, Frankfurt am Main 2005, , p. 651, s. a. Rosebrock: "Kurt Martin", p. 25–34
In the autumn of 1933 Wagner commissioned Martin with the development and organization of an army museum of Baden. Together with the retired Colonel Erich Blankenhorn, who had just been dismissed as chief of the Badische Landespolizei (State Police of Baden) by the new rulers, he built up an independent museum under the aegis of the Baden State Museum Karlsruhe (Badisches Landesmuseum), called Badisches Armeemuseum (Army Museum of Baden)Vereinigung der Freunde des Wehrgeschichtlichen Museums Schloss Rastatt e. V. [ed.]: Gang durch die Geschichte. 75 Jahre Wehrgeschichtliches Museum und 50 Jahre Vereinigung der Freunde des WGM. Katalog zur Sonderausstellung 18. Juli bis 31. Oktober 2009 im Wehrgeschichtlichen Museum in Rastatt (Society of the Friends of the Wehrgeschichtliche Museum Schloss Rastatt (ed.): A walk through history. 75 years of WGM Museum and 50 years of reunited Friends of the WGM. Catalogue of the Special Exhibition 18 July until 31 October 2009 at the WGM in Rastatt) Catalogue No. 7 of the series: collection of studies and special exhibitions at the Wehrgeschichtliches Museum Rastatt, Karlsruhe 2009, ., p. 10, s. a. Rosebrock: "Kurt Martin", pp. 49–53 For this purpose premises were made available in the former stables of the Karlsruhe Palace, the residence of the State museum. On 13 May 1934 Robert Wagner and Kurt Martin inaugurated the museum with 80.000 guests and two days of celebration. Besides departments of the army of the Reich (Reichswehr) and color guards of the military associations, a row of delegations of NS-organizations, including SA, SS and Reich Labor Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst), marched up in the demilitarized zone.Der Führer, edition: 13 May 1934: "Militär-Großkonzert mit Schlachtenfeuerwerk im Stadtgarten", "Der Aufmarsch am Sonntag", "Ruf an die Soldaten", "Ein Rundgang durchs Armee-Museum" ("Grand military concert and battle fireworks in the city garden", "The deployment in sunday", "Call to the soldiers", "A tour through the Army Museum")Der Führer, edition: 13 May 1934, Le Temps, 13 May 1934, p. 1, "DÉPÊCHES DE L' ÉTRANGER", s. a. Rosebrock: "Kurt Martin", pp. 49–53
In his opening speech from the balcony of the palace, Martin declared that the museum had benefited from over one thousand donations of military antiques. The museum was not only supposed to include the regiments of Baden, but also the regiments of the earlier 15th Alsatian army corps. The museum was supposed to be a "speaking memorial, teaching everyone the military-political achievements of our frontier people. [...] Here the youth shall learn to respect and understand the achievements of their fathers."Badische Werkkunst, (Art creation in Baden) Year 1934/35, August, pp. 1–4 and Durlacher Tagblatt, edition: 14 May 1934 Wagner said about the purposes of the museum: "What is given to the public today in the shape of the Army Museum is nothing else than an intellectual legacy from a time of struggling and fighting for our Germany for the struggle and fight for our Germany."Der Führer, edition: 13 May 1934, p. 1: "Das Badische Armeemuseum eröffnet: Ein Stützpunkt deutscher Zukunftshoffnung. Riesenkundgebung auf dem Karlsruher Schloßplatz – Reichsstatthalter Robert Wagner über die Bedeutung des Museums" ("The Badische Armeemuseum opens: A base for german hope for the future: Great manifestation on the Schlossplatz in Karlsruhe – The Reichstatthalter Robert Wagner on the importance of the museum") In reality, the exhibition was nothing more than a "Potemkin village". Erich Blankenhorn commented on the state of the museum on the date of the opening and said that due to the short preparation period "it was only possible to decorate the first royal stables with historically incoherent paintings and objects." For that reason the museum was closed one day after the opening.Vereinigung der Freunde des Wehrgeschichtlichen Museums Schloss Rastatt e.V. [ed..]: "Gang durch die Geschichte", p. 10
1934: Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe (National Art Gallery Karlsruhe)
On 2 July 1934 Wagner appointed Martin head of the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe (National Art Gallery Karlsruhe). He succeeded Hans Adolf Bühler, who was loyal to the party line and whose management of the museum was characterized by a radical opposition to the so-called degenerate art.Rosebrock: "Kurt Martin", p. 63 Martin remained head of the Staatliche Kunsthalle until 1956.
Exhibitions 1934–1940
Between 1934 and 1939 the Staatliche Kunsthalle was limited in its activities. In the years between 1934 and 1937 the orangery building of the botanical garden was remodeled in order to accommodate a special department for the Baden paintings of the late 19th and 20th century as from 1938. Since 1934 the department of the old German Masterpieces had been reorganized. It was reopened to the public in 1937. Finally, the also redesigned department of the Dutch and Flemish painters reopened as well.Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, in Oberrheinische Kunst. Jahrbuch der oberrheinischen Museen. Jg. 8 (1939) (Yearbook of the Museums of the Upper Rhine, 8th year), pp. 199–203; Rosebrock loc. cit., p. 61 and 75
Between 1934 and 1937 several exhibitions were organized in the gallery of prints, including an exhibition about Hans Thoma in 1934 and an exhibition of the most recent acquisitions of old German masterpieces by the Staatliche Kunsthalle in 1936.
Furthermore, two travelling exhibitions were organized for the elementary schools in Baden. In 1936 an exhibition about Hans Thoma was shown in 55 locations and totaled about 90.000 visitors, and in 1937 an exhibition about Albrecht Dürer was shown in 25 locations and registered about 45.000 visitors.
Between 1934 and 1937 the Staatliche Kunsthalle organized annually, among others, about forty tours for the Reichsarbeitsdienst (Reichs Labor Service), the organization "Kraft durch Freude" (KdF) (Strength Through Joy), the NS-Frauenschaft (Nazi women’s organization), the sisterhood of the Red Cross and schools.
Just before the beginning of the war, on 2 July 1939, the museum was reopened and back in full operation.Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe (Tätigkeitsbericht 1938/39 – activity report 1938/1939), in Oberrheinische Kunst. Jahrbuch der oberrheinischen Museen (Yearbook of the Upper Rhine Museums) Year 9, 1940, P. 226–227, s. a. Rosebrock: "Kurt Martin", p. 62 At the same time the Kunsthalle celebrated its 100th anniversary. On this occasion Robert Wagner opened a memorial exhibition for Hans Thoma showing 180 works. Besides private collectors and galleries, the Nationalgalerie (National Gallery) in Berlin, the Hamburger Kunsthalle (Art Gallery Hamburg) and the Städtische Galerie Frankfurt (Municipal Gallery Frankfurt) contributed to this exhibition with loans. Martin meant to present Thoma as "a master of the German landscape and as a great portraitist".e. g. "Hans-Thoma-Schau in Karlsruhe (…) Unterredung mit Direktor Dr. Martin von der Staatlichen Kunsthalle" ("Hans Thoma show in Karlsruhe (...) Discussion with director Dr. Martin from the Staatliche Kunsthalle")and from 2 July 1939, p.4: "Hans-Thoma-Gedächtnis-Ausstellung in Karlsruhe. 180 auserlesene Meisterwerke – Die erste Ausstellung in Deutschland zum 100jährigen Geburtstag des Meisters" ("Hans Thoma memorial exhibition in Karlsruhe. 180 chosen masterpieces – The first exhibition in Germany for the 100th birthday of the Master") At the same time the newly renovated "Feuerbachsaal" was reopened to the public. It contained the German paintings of the 19th century that had been "rearranged". The state government of Baden donated a work of Trübner, and the city of Karlsruhe a work of Thoma.
From 1940 on, the Kunsthalle remained closed.Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, in Oberrheinische Kunst. Jahrbuch der oberrheinischen Museen. (Yearbook of the Upper Rhine Museums) Year 8 (1939), p. 201.
Art acquisitions in general
Between 1934 and 1937 the Kunsthalle acquired 115 paintings under the direction of Martin, including works of Hans Thoma, Emil Lugo and Hermann Daur.Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, in Oberrheinische Kunst. Jahrbuch der oberrheinischen Museen. Jg. 8 (1939) (Yearbook of the Museums of the Upper Rhine, 8th year), P. 199-203. According to Rosebrock, P. 61 and 75 Martin would have closed the museum for a few years after beginning to work there. It would have been his goal to draw the public attention away from the museum through that. The renovation works therefore would only have been a pretext.