Freie Berliner Kunstausstellung

Sculpture of the long-time chairman of the FBK Ernst Leonhardt

The Freie Berliner Kunstausstellung (FBK), the “Free Berlin Art Exhibition” in Berlin (Germany), was “unique in its structure”. For 24 years, from 1971 to 1995, it was the only non-juried art exhibition of its size in Europe. It opened after the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung, the “Grand Berlin Art Exhibition”, a juried art exhibition, had closed its doors. Supported by the Senate of Berlin, an association, called the Freie Berliner Kunstausstellung was registered in 1970 with the goal to organize annual exhibitions. Hans-Joachim Zeidler became chairperson of this association for the first four years, followed by Ernst Leonhardt (Artist). During the association's last four years, Karin Rech took over the leadership.

History

Exhibition halls at the Funkturm Berlin

The first FBK took place in the exhibition halls at the Funkturm Berlin in 1971. At that time, the so-called Counterculture of the 1960s movement was already in full swing. The unrest of this period had inspired many social groups, and artists as well were “woken up”, as Zeidler reported in his review in 1983. Already at its beginning, the FBK was able to “look back on a Berlin tradition that was dating back to the Weimar Republic.” However, early evidence of non-juried art exhibitions points to the 19th century. A poster collection at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum contains a poster by Ludwig von Hofmann. The draft of this poster – which he had originally designed in 1893 for the first Große Berliner Kunstausstellung – was rejected. The portrayal of a “sparsely clad young man was apparently seen as an offense and was removed by the Berlin police, according to contemporary reports.” As some artists had been rejected by the jury of the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung, a second exhibition, which had called itself FBK, was organized, running concurrently with the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung. Its location was close by, across the road at the Moltke Bridge. It accepted Ludwig von Hofmann's poster. Käthe Kollwitz, who was still an unknown artist at that time, exhibited in 1895 in the FBK which had always been seen as an alternative to the juried art exhibitions.

In addition to these early historical roots, the Non-Juried Art Exhibition featured a direct predecessor in 1965, as mentioned in the archives of the Association of Female Artists of Berlin. After the FBK had presented its first exhibition in 1971, it took 12 years for an acting mayor of Berlin to officially comment on the exhibition. Such comments had been anticipated for years. In 1983 Richard von Weizsäcker was the first mayor who was willing to write words of acknowledgement. Since then greetings from the acting mayor of Berlin became a tradition.

The Freie Berliner Kunstausstellung has established itself in the cultural life of Berlin and beyond. It has long embodied a piece of Zeitgeist, changeable, full of surprises, appreciated or criticized, always alive. The 13th Freie Berliner Kunstausstellung will also spark discussions, raise questions and leave them unanswered, letting what is transitory and what is permanent come into contact. Berlin can not and should not do without an exhibition of this kind. I hope that it will generate the same lively interest which a receptive audience full of dedication and contradiction also devoted to its predecessors.

— Richard von Weizsäcker 1983, Zeit Online

For the first time in 1990, after what was called Die Wende – after the fall of the Berlin Wall but before German reunification – Walter Momper, mayor of Berlin at that time, congratulated the FBK, hoping for “satisfied artists and many interested visitors from East and West”. In 1991 the time had come to announce: “The 21st FBK is finally a free exhibition for all artists of Berlin.”

From the very beginning, the “fiercely controversial but hotly loved” FBK faced criticism, sometimes there was even harsh rejection. The critics turned against the concept of a non-juried exhibition, as well as the inclusion of anyone who wanted to exhibit. This allowed “young, unknown, perhaps also ‘not so good’ artists, such as hobby artists, to participate.” Many rejected this concept. Leonhardt pointed out the “charm of the FBK” and stressed that for some it was “a spring-board to a great career”. For Nicole Bröhan, the “always controversial mixture of professional and amateur artists […] created its special appeal”. In 1994 she wrote in the Berliner Zeitung that she saw the FBK as “talent forging”. Despite all the positive reports, the FBK's continued existence was always at risk. “What a triumph! The FBK, which is dead at least once every year, will turn 25. Who would have thought?” With these words, Ernst Leonhardt, meanwhile honorary chairman of the association, began his review at the FBK's 25th anniversary. He could not know at that time that, due to the financial situation, it would be the last opening of the FBK. For that exhibition to take place at all, there was an “art auction during which 1,000 works donated by Berlin artists were auctioned off” – “in order to support the exhibition”.

Organization

Free Berlin Art Exhibition

Freie Berliner Kunstausstellung e. V.
Abbreviation	FBK
Formation	1970
Dissolved	1995
Type	NGO
Location	Berlin
Coordinates
Staff	Hans-Joachim Zeidler (1971–1974) Ernst Leonhardt (1981–1990) Karin Rech (1991–1995)

Unlike the usual concepts of exhibitions, the goal of the FBK was for the artists themselves, not professional gallery owners or curators, to take over management and organization of the exhibition, as well as the hanging of the art works. A jury did not exist. Organizer of the exhibitions was the registered association of the FBK. The management of the exhibitions was led by the respective chairperson of the association, while the organizational aspects were handled by a group of seven members. The preparation and execution of the exhibitions was coordinated by the "Colleagues of the Management". As a rule, the FBK took place in the second quarter of each year. Around Christmas the year before, registration forms were sent to the artists.

Two divisions were set up, a Free Division and a division for groups. The former consisted of professional artists only, the latter of non-professional artists who joined as groups. Among the many exhibiting artist groups were diverse artist associations, as well as students from the Berlin University of the Arts, which regularly exhibited as a large group of their own.

The usually not conflict-free process of hanging the art work was organized based on its own concept. A “Hanging Commission” was set up for the Free Division. It was the commission's responsibility to find a suitable place for about 1,200 works of art within three days. The groups were each assigned a location appropriate to their size in which they arranged the hanging themselves.

Two-thirds of the exhibitors were professional artists, one third ‘hobby artists’. At the 20th anniversary of the exhibition, the chairman expressed satisfaction that the Free Division and the groups were now “finally equal” in the allocation of space. Among the celebrities of the exhibitors were Louise Rösler, Walter Stöhrer, Fred Thieler and Jürgen Draeger. The latter presented on his website several cover pages of the catalogs. While for almost 20 years male artists were overrepresented, the gender distribution was balanced for the first time in 1990 – “without any quotation”, as Walter Momper acknowledged in his greeting.

Exhibition

For four weeks each year, between April and June, the FBK organizers opened the doors of the exhibition halls at the Funkturm Berlin and invited the public. “Drawings, pictures, spatial as well as sound and video installations, sculptures, collages, photography” were presented. In addition to depressive performances, there were also humorous inventions, such as a potency automat (1986) or an art licensing machine(1989). Over the years, not only the exhibition itself, but also the accompanying program developed. Prints and small sculptures were sold in a bazaar. On Saturdays there were guided tours. A traditional breakfast with jazz music and discussions enjoyed increasing popularity. A Kinderatelier (children's art room) was open daily where children, guided by artists, could paint. While the program changed at times, there were special readings by women, or “music played on historical instruments”. The exhibition management was also interested in the outer appearance of the exhibition halls. A proposal for a flag project was repeatedly turned down by the Senate. Eventually the artists financed the project at their own expense. In 1989 “the visitors of the 19th FBK were greeted at the entrance to the exhibition halls by 70 colourful flags [...], which had never been shown before”. In 1991, as in previous years, a “graphic competition for students of the Berlin University of the Arts” was organized. In 1992, the project began with picture panels, 30 large-format paintings on the outside of the exhibition halls, designed to “catch the eye”. For the first time in 1993, art discussions were held in which artists and visitors alike participated. They took place every day, with the aim to encourage “thinking with one's eyes”. A five-minute-long video, published on YouTube on October 5, 2010, highlights events of the 19th FBK. It provides an impression of the atmosphere typical of the exhibitions.

Media

The media-echo was slow in coming. In 1983 – twelve years after the FBK's opening – Leonhardt still expressed hope “that the media would finally provide stronger support to this exhibition”. In 1990 he was able to report that “the acceptance we have recently received from the media was positive and seems to continue to be so.” The Berliner Morgenpost which had already devoted a full, richly illustrated page regarding the FBK, was also reporting regularly.

A forest of images rushes from Hall 20 at Hammarskjöldplatz to Hall 23, waiting for the visitors to explore it. […] Why should four halls deter Berliners […] trained by an exhibition like the Berlin International Green Week? And then there is also the matter of taste, which – as is well known – can't be disputed! Thus, Ernst Leonhardt likes to quote the words of the Secretary of State at the Kultursenator, Lutz von Pufendorf: If the FBK did not exist, it would have to be invented.

— Renate von Eicken, Berliner Morgenpost on April 27th, 1986

Finances

Besides numerous sponsors and catalog advertisers, the FBK was financed by the Senate of Berlin. Over the course of about 20 years, from 1971 to 1993, its budget had grown steadily from 120,000 Deutsche Mark (DM) to over 760,000 DM. During that period, from 1981 to 1983, the budget of the FBK had been fixed and was slightly reduced in 1984. Well-known companies of the city helped fill the gaps. Senator Volker Hassemer secured the budget in 1985 which increased during the following eight years. The rent also increased considerably over the years and amounted to nearly 400,000 DM in 1995, leaving only 360,000 DM of the Senate's grants for the realization of the exhibition. This exhibition would not have been possible without donations from the artists. A year later the Senate stopped the grants entirely. That decision sealed the end of the FBK. During the jubilee exhibition in 1995 the organizers assumed that – while budget cuts had to be made – the FBK could still take place every second year, in a “2-year rhythm”, as the former cultural director Ulrich Roloff-Momin had stated. Nothing came out of it. There were appeals, some of them were drastic:

A city like Berlin, where famous artists are trained at renowned universities, such a city must also provide for their artists and provide them with a forum. Not only imported art is respectable and noteworthy. A city without free art is dead.

— Karin Rech, Katalog of the 24th FBK

Figures

The figures presented here are incomplete. A first overview was published in the catalog of the 20th FBK relating to the years 1971 to 1989, and a second one in the catalog of the 24th FBK for the years 1991 to 1993. Thus, there is no information about 1990 and the last two years.

In the documented period – between 1983 and 1989 – the number of exhibitors increased from 750 to 2,400, with certain fluctuations. The number of groups involved rose from 25 to 82 and peaked with 91 groups in 1992. The number of visitors varied between 12,400 and 34,000 with a high in 1978. The grants made available by the Senate of Berlin for the organization and the set-up of the exhibition increased more or less continuously from 150,000 DM to more than 750,000 DM in 1993. In addition, there were not only sponsors, but also artists who sold their art to cover expenses of the exhibition. Nevertheless, money was always scarce, as Ernst Leonhardt's constantly admonishing words in the catalogs testify. The exhibition space had increased over the years to 9,000 square meters but the rent increased as well. It multiplied sixfold from the beginning to the last exhibition.

With the exception of the first two years, the number of art works that were sold increased consistently and grew steadily to a 6-figure sum, just under half a million in 1992. Yet, Leonhardt regrets: “Not more than about 5 % of the visual artists can support themselves through their work.” There were discussions about the often modest purchases of art works by the Senate of Berlin which were in the single-digit percentage range of the budget for art purchases.“Ridiculous, the disillusioned say, that of a 670,000 DM budget less than 5 % was purchased at the FBK, even though the Senator himself considers this exhibition to be the most important of the year in Berlin.”

Figures 1971–1980 (DM Deutsche Mark)

FBK	Exhibitors	Groups	Visitors	Grant	Rent	Sales	Purchases by Senate	Purchases by State
1971	739	25	12.400	150.000 DM	65.000 DM	52.500 DM	18.000 DM	–
1972	940	29	18.000	185.000 DM	80.000 DM	75.000 DM	18.417 DM	–
1973	1.164	32	23.000	202.000 DM	90.000 DM	120.000 DM	22.069 DM	–
1974	1.553	40	28.000	250.000 DM	95.000 DM	147.000 DM	23.897 DM	–
1975	1.564	54	29.500	270.000 DM	55.000 DM	130.000 DM	25.856 DM	25.000 DM
1976	1.635	61	30.000	330.000 DM	50.000 DM	111.000 DM	23.572 DM	–
1977	1.673	65	34.000	345.000 DM	50.000 DM	153.000 DM	23.500 DM	16.500 DM
1978	1.806	74	36.000	409.000 DM	110.000 DM	205.000 DM	26.500 DM	5.400 DM
1979	1.832	76	32.000	450.000 DM	120.000 DM	282.000 DM	25.000 DM	135.000 DM
1980	1.975	76	26.000	523.600 DM	150.000 DM	256.000 DM	52.000 DM	64.000 DM

Figures 1981–1989

FBK	Exhibitors	Groups	Visitors	Grant	Rent	Sales	Purchases by Senate	Purchases by State
1981	1.962	69	27.000	560.000 DM	150.000 DM	261.000 DM	26.000 DM	63.000 DM
1982	2.026	62	29.000	565.000 DM	180.000 DM	294.000 DM	40.000 DM	97.000 DM
1983	2.300	68	29.000	565.000 DM	195.000 DM	331.800 DM	37.000 DM	77.250 DM
1984	2.150	61	27.500	559.350 DM	210.000 DM	231.100 DM	33.000 DM	51.500 DM
1985	2.100	70	27.500	595.000 DM	225.000 DM	191.100 DM	33.000 DM	51.500 DM
1986	2.400	77	33.900	612.000 DM	240.000 DM	250.300 DM	10.800 DM	26.800 DM
1987	2.250	77	29.000	630.000 DM	260.000 DM	305.200 DM	59.560 DM	18.800 DM
1988	2.300	72	28.200	641.775 DM	280.000 DM	303.000 DM	38.300 DM	33.300 DM
1989	2.100	78	31.800	648.740 DM	300.400 DM	377.000 DM	39.300 DM	16.000 DM

Figures 1991–1993

FBK	Exhibitors	Groups	Visitors	Grant	Rent	Sales	Purchases by Senate
1991	2.300	84	29.000	727.085 DM	335.500 DM	430.767 DM	16.000 DM
1992	2.300	91	18.839	785.780 DM	355.750 DM	310.199 DM	33.350 DM
1993	2.400	82	21.500	761.000 DM	376.000 DM	324.614 DM	4.500 DM

Managers and Organizers

Managers and Organizers 1971–1975

FBK	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
1st Chairperson	Hans-Joachim Zeidler	Hans-Joachim Zeidler	Hans-Joachim Zeidler	Hans-Joachim Zeidler	Arwed D. Gorella
2nd Chairperson	Dietmar Lemcke	Dietmar Lemcke	Dietmar Lemcke	Dietmar Lemcke	Dietmar Lemcke
Treasurer
Secretary	Arwed D. Gorella	Arwed D. Gorella	Arwed D. Gorella	Arwed D. Gorella	Matthias Koeppel
General Manager	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick
Leadership	Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann] Fritz Blau Eugen Clermont Bert Düerkop Matthias Koeppel Dietmar Lemcke Hans-Joachim Zeidler	Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann Fritz Blau Eugen Clermont Bert Düerkop Matthias Koeppel Dietmar Lemcke Hans-Joachim Zeidler	Manfred Beelke Eugen Clermont Bert Düerkop H. Oskar Gonschorr Matthias Koeppel Günter Ohlwein Dieter Ruckhaberle Gert Vangermain	Manfred Beelke Eugen Clermont Bert Düerkop H. Oskar Gonschorr Günter Anlau Dieter Ruckhaberle Gert Vangermain	Manfred Beelke Wolfgang Bier Bert Düerkop Ernst Leonhardt Dieter Masuhr Karlheinz Ziegler (Painter)
Technical Leader					Uwe Witt

Managers and Organizers 1976–1980

FBK	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980
1st Chairperson	Arwed D. Gorella	Jürgen Waller	Jürgen Waller	Günter Anlauf	Günter Anlauf
2nd Chairperson	Dietmar Lemcke	Matthias Koeppel	Matthias Koeppel	Ernst Leonhardt (Artist)	Ernst Leonhardt
Treasurer
Secretary	Matthias Koeppel	Günter Anlauf	Günter Anlauf	Gisela Lehmann	Gisela Lehmann
General Manager	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick
Leadership	Günter Anlauf Manfred Beelke Wolfgang Bier Bert Düerkop Ernst Leonhardt Dieter Masuhr Karlheinz Ziegler (Painter)	Manfred Beelke Gisela Lehmann Ernst Leonhardt Joachim Liestmann Dieter Masuhr Peter Müller Karlheinz Ziegler	Manfred Beelke Gisela Lehmann Ernst Leonhardt Joachim Liestmann Dieter Masuhr Peter Müller Karlheinz Ziegler	Manfred Beelke Martin Fricke Joachim Liestmann Dieter Masuhr Peter Müller Karin Rech Karlheinz Ziegler	Manfred Beelke Martin Fricke Joachim Liestmann Dieter Masuhr Peter Müller Karin Rech Karlheinz Ziegler
Technical Leader	Uwe Witt	Uwe Witt	Uwe Witt	Uwe Witt	Uwe Witt

Managers and Organizers 1981–1985

FBK	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
1st Chairperson	Ernst Leonhardt (Artist)	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt
2nd Chairperson	Günter Anlauf	Günter Anlauf	Günter Anlauf	Günter Anlauf	Peter Müller
Treasurer				Peter Müller	Günter Anlauf
Secretary	Karin Rech	Karin Rech	Karin Rech	Karin Rech	Dieter Ruckhaberle
General Manager	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick	Otto Maßnick
Leadership	Manfred Beelke Martin Fricke H. Oskar Gonschorr Rudolf Hübler Joachim Liestmann Peter Müller Lo Zahn	Manfred Beelke Martin Fricke H. Oskar Gonschorr Rudolf Hübler Joachim Liestmann Peter Müller Lo Zahn	Manfred Beelke H. Oskar Gonschorr Rudolf Hübler Joachim Liestmann Peter Müller Norbert Stratmann Lo Zahn	Manfred Beelke H. Oskar Gonschorr Rudolf Hübler Joachim Liestmann Norbert Stratmann Lo Zahn	Manfred Beelke H. Oskar Gonschorr Joachim Liestmann Norbert Stratmann Mara Hahlbrock Ernst v. Hopffgarten Dieter Tyspe
Technical Leader	Otto Maßnick Dieter Zahn	Otto Maßnick Dieter Zahn	Dieter Zahn	Dieter Zahn	Dieter Zahn
Acting Manager				Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt

Managers and Organizers 1986–1990

FBK	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990
1st Chairperson	Ernst Leonhardt (Artist)	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt
2nd Chairperson	Günter Anlauf	Günter Anlauf	Günter Anlauf	Peter Müller	Peter Müller
Treasurer	Peter Müller	Peter Müller	Peter Müller	Karin Rech	Karin Rech
Secretary	Dieter Ruckhaberle	Dieter Ruckhaberle	Dieter Ruckhaberle	Norbert Wirth	Norbert Wirth
General Manager	Bärbel Stegmess	Bärbel Stegmess	Bärbel Stegmess	Bärbel Stegmess	Bärbel Stegmess
Leadership	Manfred Beelke H. Oskar Gonschorr Joachim Liestmann Norbert Stratmann Mara Hahlbrock Ernst v. Hopffgarten Dieter Tyspe	Manfred Beelke Gisela von Bruchhausen H. Oskar Gonschorr Joachim Liestmann Norbert Stratmann Ernst v. Hopffgarten Dieter Tyspe	Bernd Beck Gisela v. Bruchhausen H. Oskar Gonschorr Peter Kurz Gisela Lehmann Dieter Masuhr Karin Rech	Bernd Beck Gisela v. Bruchhausen H. Oskar Gonschorr Peter Kurz Gisela Lehmann Dieter Masuhr	Christian Buchloh H. Oskar Gonschorr Norbert Fritsch Joachim Liestmann Martin Noll Oda Schöller Jan-Michael Sobottka
Technical Leader	Werner Ahrens	Werner Ahrens	Werner Ahrens	Werner Ahrens	Werner Ahrens

Managers and Organizers 1991–1994

FBK	1991	1992	1993	1994
1st Chairperson	Karin Rech	Karin Rech	Karin Rech	Karin Rech
2nd Chairperson	Peter Müller	Peter Müller	Peter Müller	Peter Müller
Treasurer	Eleonore Fuchs	Eleonore Fuchs–Heidelberg	Eleonore Fuchs–Heidelberg	Eleonore Fuchs–Heidelberg
Secretarary	Norbert Wirth	Norbert Wirth	Norbert Fritsch	Norbert Fritsch
General Manager	Bärbel Stegmess	Bärbel Stegmess	Bärbel Stegmess	Bärbel Stegmess
Leadership	Christian Buchloh Norbert Fritsch H. Oskar Gonschorr Joachim Liestmann Martin Noll Oda Schoeller Jan-Michael Scobottka	Christian Buchloh Norbert Fritsch Manfred Fuchs H. Oskar Gonschorr Joachim Liestmann Martin Noll Oda Schoeller	Christian Buchloh Manfred Fuchs H. Oskar Gonschorr Joachim Liestmann Martin Noll Carola Peitz Oda Schoeller	Christian Buchloh Manfred Fuchs Joachim Liestmann Martin Noll Oda Schoeller Oliver Scholten Anna Werkmeister
Technical Leader	Werner Ahrens	Detlef Mallwitz	Detlef Mallwitz	Detlef Mallwitz
Honorary Chairperson	Ernst Leonhardt (Artist)	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt	Ernst Leonhardt

External links

• Catalogs of the FBK at Deutschen Nationalbibliothek (DNB) Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine