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Big donation: Schmidt-Rottluff-Werke presented in Chemnitz!
On October 18, 2025, an important exhibition to donate the Gerlingen art collections will open in Chemnitz, with works by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and other Brücke artists.
Big donation: Schmidt-Rottluff-Werke presented in Chemnitz!
Today is a very special day for the art scene in Chemnitz: The over 90-year-old entrepreneur and collector Hermann Gerlinger is showing part of his impressive collection, which includes more than 1,000 exhibits. This donation will be made today, on Chemnitz art collections, opened. Among the treasures are central works of Brücke Expressionism, including important pieces by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Erich Heckel and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
This collection, now finally seeing the light of day, contains 42 works, including oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and prints. Starting today, it will be presented in the art collections at Theaterplatz. An accompanying publication is also planned for Sandstein Verlag, which will underline the diversity of this donation.
Schmidt-Rottluff in focus
Schmidt-Rottluff, who was born in Chemnitz in 1884, is undoubtedly a key figure in German Expressionism. His work “You and I” from 1919 is considered the highlight of the exhibition. This painting, which was intended as a wedding gift for his wife Emmy, shows the couple in impressive colors and invites intensive self-questioning. The different representations of the eyes in the picture are interesting: Emmy's open eye looks into the outside world, while the closed eye looks into the inside. Also on view is the work “Landscape in Moonlight” from 1938 – another impressive example from his creative period in which he was confronted with dark, difficult topics, especially after a painting ban by the Nazis in 1941.
The Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House, which opened on April 6th, is another important part of Chemnitz's art-historical heritage. This new museum, housed in the artist's listed birthplace, exhibits original works as well as facsimiles and biographical documents that shed light on Schmidt-Rottluff's life story and the period of German Expressionism.
An exciting development for Chemnitz
With Gerlinger's donation, the Chemnitz Art Collections are expanding their already remarkable holdings, which include numerous works by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. This collection not only reflects Gerlinger's personal passion, but also his long-standing connection to art and to Chemnitz as the birthplace of great artists. Since 2022, Gerlinger has been gradually liquidating his collection and donating works to selected museums, with the Chemnitz Art Collections having one of the largest holdings of Schmidt-Rottluff works.
The opening of this new exhibition and the Schmidt-Rottluff Museum make Chemnitz a hotspot for fans of German Expressionism. The city has had the Gunzenhauser Museum since 2007, which also shows expressionist art, and with the new Schmidt-Rottluff Museum the offering becomes even more diverse. It remains exciting to see how the cultural landscape of Chemnitz continues to develop.