Support group

Ingrid Jureit was honored at this year's New Year's reception of the city of Hofheim on 26.1.2025 for her voluntary work in the cultural sector. Mayor Christian Vogt and City Councillor Andreas Hegeler presented the certificate and the gold badge of honor, and the latter recalled Ingrid Jureit's diverse activities around the Hofheim City Museum and its art scene, in particular the Hofheim Group. In her laudatory speech, Dr. Friederike Lohse also referred to the artist Ingrid Jureit and her important role in the Förderkreis des Stadtmuseums, where she "is a huge support" as deputy chairwoman.

The exclusive guided tour of the current exhibition for members of the Förderkreis was particularly popular this time with over 30 participants. Anyone who has read the book "Zebras in the Snow" about Frankfurt will be familiar with the lively Frankfurt art scene in the period from 1927 to 1933, when the Beckmann School at Frankfurt's Staedel was in full bloom - and then dissolved. The exhibition makes it almost painfully clear what effects the Nazi regime also had on the art scene. Max Beckmann and his students are prototypes of this. None of the promising students in this master class were granted Beckmann's success. They were marginalized: first by the Nazis, later by the zeitgeist.

Dr. Marion Victor did intensive research on the Beckmann students, wrote a book and then curated the Hofheim exhibition. She kindly took over the guided tour herself - certainly one of the reasons for the great interest. A total of seven of the students were selected for the exhibition. Dr. Victor sensitively outlined their very different fates, traced their lives through their pictures and thus shed new light on the talents of these artists. "These works must not be forgotten, they are part of our history," says the curator. The art-historical significance of this exhibition is also reflected in the above-average number of visitors the museum has received so far. The exhibition can only be seen until February 9.

The exhibition "Der gesprengte Kreis - Die Schülerinnen und Schüler Max Beckmanns" was not only co-financed by the Förderkreis from its own funds, the Förderkreis also raised money for the exhibition. Donations came from Mainova (€5,000), the NASPA Foundation (€2,000) and Frankfurter Volksbank (€500). On 26 December, the NASPA Foundation invited representatives from all 14 organizations that received a donation for their voluntary work this year.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for their support!

On June 13, 2024, an excursion to the Museum Wiesbaden was on the program of the Förderkreis. On display was the important painter and graphic artist Max Pechstein (1881 - 1935), a representative of German Expressionism and thus a contemporary of Hanna Bekker vom Rath. The FAZ had announced: "The exhibition The Sun in Black and White brings together paintings and prints by Max Pechstein in an overwhelming retrospective at the Museum Wiesbaden." The curator himself, Dr. Roman Zieglgänsberger, had invited visitors to an impressive and extremely knowledgeable guided tour. He is a curator at the Museum Wiesbaden and specializes in classical modernism (see photo 3rd from the right in the 1st row).

The Förderkreis presented itself for the first time this year, on 21.1.2024 to be precise, at the Markt der Vereine in the Stadthalle. In the run-up to the New Year's reception, the city of Hofheim gives all associations the opportunity to present themselves. 600 citizens accepted the invitation, many of them new residents.

Here is the female board team at our stand.

In order to open up the museum to more Hofheim residents, the Förderkreis has come up with something special: a gift voucher for 1 year's membership of the Förderkreis wrapped up for Christmas. This not only grants free admission to the museum at any time, but also invitations to such wonderful exhibition openings as on Sunday or exclusive guided tours. If you wish, you can also take a bottle of museum wine with you, at a special price in a double pack. 30 euros for individual membership, 50 euros with a partner, plus 1 bottle of wine (8 euros), a total of 35 euros.

For the first time in our history, there is now a wine edition of the Förderkreis, with which we want to improve our profile in the Hofheim community. The renowned Rheingau winery Trenz from Johannisberg has bottled a beautiful dry 21 Riesling especially for us, which will be a pleasant companion on many an evening.

It is the anniversary wine of the Förderkreis. You can buy it while stocks last here in Hofheim: in the town museum, at Edeka Buch in the Chinoncenter and at Buch - der Markt in the main street. Both the winery and the Buch family have kindly made it possible for us to offer you the wine at the attractive price of €7.99 per bottle. And the best thing is: every sip is a donation. Because all the proceeds go to the city museum. So do something good: drink the anniversary wine!

Ernst Wilhelm Nay is one of the most important German artists after the Second World War. He is of particular importance to us because he lived in Hofheim from 1945 to 1951 and found his very own path to abstraction here. He is therefore also of particular interest to the art collection of the Stadtmuseum, which we were able to enrich with two further beautiful graphic works by Nay with our anniversary donation. It is therefore fitting that the Museum Wiesbaden is currently showing a magnificent Nay retrospective. At the invitation of the Friends of the Museum Wiesbaden, the curator of the exhibition, Roman Zieglgänsberger, will introduce you to Nay's life's work on January 19. We are particularly grateful to him for this.

This exclusive members' event is open to 25 guests, subject to prior registration (06192 202540 or foerderkreis.stadtmuseumhofheimde). Admission costs €12 per person (concessions may be available) and is payable at the museum ticket office. Arrival and departure are individual. Meeting point is in the foyer.

Right at the start of the new year, the members of the Hofheim City Museum Friends' Association were able to visit the current special exhibition Taunus Kunst Triennale 2. Almost 40 people accepted the invitation and were warmly welcomed by the new (acting) chairperson Dr. Friederike Lohse. Together with museum director Dr. Inga Remmers, they got to know the works of selected artists from our region who have explored the theme of the masked ball in a variety of ways over the past three years under the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. We first went to the impressive Haindl barn (see photo), which many of us had never seen before, then to the Ehry farm, before completing the tour in the rooms of the city museum.

During the subsequent drink with our anniversary wine, many were pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the regional art on display - everyone agreed that the focus on the contemporary scene is an enrichment for the museum. Perhaps one or the other will visit one of the artists in their studio ... in any case, the high-quality catalog is available at the museum for 18 euros.

At its anniversary celebration on October 9, the Förderkreis donated two valuable prints by Ernst Wihelm Nay (1902 - 1968) to the Stadtmuseum. We had previously acquired these beautiful works at auctions in Hamburg and Berlin.

The delicate lithograph "Sylphenspiel", which the artist dedicated to his future wife, was created in 1949 when Nay was living in Hofheim. The work contains many references to his later work. The colorful and formally impressive color aquatint "Eruption" (1965) is a wonderful late work that summarizes the previous work and captivates every viewer. Both prints are an excellent addition to the Stadtmuseum's already remarkable Nay collection.

Ernst Wilhelm Nay found his own path to abstraction in Hofheim. The multiple Documenta and Biennale participant became one of the most important German artists of the two decades after the Second World War. He achieved international fame, which has not faded to this day. He worked in Hofheim from 1945 to 1951 in the former studio house of the painter Ottilie W. Roederstein, which Hanna Bekker vom Rath arranged for him. The Stadtmuseum's collection now comprises no fewer than twelve works by the artist.

The two new paintings can be seen in the current cabinet exhibition "Spotlight: NAY" until 13.11.2022.