Heinrich Brüne

October 29 - November 23, 1949

Exhibition with works by Heinrich Brüne, Ernst Geitlinger, Theodor von Hötzendorf, Jo von Kalckreuth, Johannes Ignaz Kohler, Anton Leidl, Thomas Niederreuther and Wolf Reuther.

“Heinrich Bruene's 80th birthday, which would be noted in these days the prudent management of the ‘Münchner Kunstverein’ takes to the thankful occasion, in order to present in their November exhibition (in the Heinrich-von-Zügel-Villa, Possartstr. 24) the memory of this much too little noticed master of a late German Impressionism also in Munich. And already the meeting with hardly a dozen of his delicious paintings makes this reunion with Brüne a delightful experience.

Alone the small ‘Woman's Head’, delicately and gossamery painted by this Rhinelander, has such a ‘condensed’ feminine atmosphere and a sensuous atmosphere and a sensual fluidity, that it reminds of Manet's unrivaled female heads. How outrageously loose and light, a still life like the ‘Sunflowers in a Glass’ appears
on the tonally splendidly executed background, without obtrusive language of the brush, the ‘southern seascape’ and his ‘summer garden’ in Oberpfaffenhofen are of an ‘atmospheric’
coloring. All earthy or somehow seemingly opaque hues are avoided by Brüne.
For the accomplishment of a representative portrait commission, his strikingly painted portrait of a distinguished young lady is instructive.
The distinctly masterly quality of Brüne's paintings, the euphony of his color chords, can, despite all the other of the works still on display cannot be expected from artists of a later generation.
Johann Ignaz Kohler's somewhat chalky, pastel colored painting is crushed by Brüne's superior colorism. But Ernst Geitlinger can do well in the same space with his familiar, primitive, and playful painterly aperçus, so that pictures like the ‘blue pointed cap’ shine through colorful refinement or the the ‘Persian Carpet’ by their ornamental wit and their effect.
What a contrast to the calm - and balance of a Brüne or to Geitlinger's light and cheerful playing
is the space filled by the force and weight of the pictures of Thomas Niederreuther. This self-confident, versatile talented autodidact, who follows great models, can and wants to not restrain his strong painterly temperament, which is why his works are so different and unequal.
Balanced and convincing appears his colorful calm and coordinated, figurative composition ‘Man and Woman’.
Of the paintings and sketches (in the small room), only the amusing ‘Self-portrait at shaving’ and a not ‘naturalistic’ but ‘transferred’ garden picture by Anton Leidl and the ‘Melting Snow in the Forest’ by Theodor
von Hötzendorf are mentioned. By no means should one miss a brief look at the portfolio with Jo von Kalckreuth's glued tinkerings, which show once again his light as well as deft hand and his carefree talent.”
(Carl Hinterlach in the Süddeutsche Zeitung of November 10, 1949)