Anton Räderscheidt 1927
Vintage von August Sander
© SK Stiftung Kultur-August Sander Archiv, Köln, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 1997
Anton Räderscheidt 1923
Foto: Werner Mantz
Anton Räderscheidt 1956
Vintage von Chargesheimer
1892
Anton Räderscheidt was born on October 11 in Cologne, Am Blaubach, son of Wilhelm Räderscheidt, headmaster of the Cologne Business College1910-14
Studied at the Cologne School of Arts and Crafts and the Academy of Arts in Düsseldorf, student of Eduard Karl Franz von Gebhardt and Professor Menschen.
In contact with the Rhenisch Avantgarde since1913
First studio in the Richard-Wagner-Straße, Cologne1914
He created the first set of paintings that showed traits of Constructivism.1915-1917
military service in various locations including Verdun, suffered severe shell injuries1917
Having passed the first set of state examinations, he worked as an art teacher at a grammar school in Cologne-Mülheim1918
Marriage to Marta Hegemann.1919
Having passed his final teacher training examinations, he started working as a freelance artist. Became acquainted with Heinrich and Angelika Hoerle, Franz Seiwert, Otto Baargeld, Hans Arp and Wilhelm Fick.
Together with Hoerle, Seiwert and Fick, he founded the group ‘stupid’- Marta Hegemann and Angelika Hoerle also belonged to this circle. The group used to meet at the studio of Anton Räderscheidt where they held exhibitions of their own works. The only art catalogue of this period is “stupid 1” (1920).
Release of the portfolio of wood cuts “Lebendige” (“The Living”) on the initiative of Hoerle, dedicated to murdered socialists. The portfolio exhibits highly expressionistic and constructivist traits. He came into contact with the Dada-movement around Max Ernst. They exhibited together at the Autumn Exhibition in Cologne. Two figural sculptures by Räderscheidt were announced in the Dadaist “Bulletin d”. He withdrew his works just before the opening of the exhibition, nevertheless displaying them at the main show.
“Dramentage”, a portfolio of woodcuts, came out. Influenced by the Italians Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà, he painted geometrical-figurative works.
1920
He created paintings that depicted “Das Paar” (“The Pair“). The transition from Constructivist painter to Magic Realist painter occurred.
Paul Multhaupt, an industrialist from Düsseldorf, became the first art collector of his works.1923
B. Traven, who had been publishing the Ziegelbrenner (“The Brickmaker”) in Munich since 1917, fled to Mexico with Räderscheidt’s passport.1925
He produced the first “Sportbilder” (“Sports pictures”): “Der bekleidete Mann und die hundertprozentige Frau” (“The clothed man and the hundred per cent woman”)He started gaining public recognition. In his book “Nachexpressionismus” (Post-Expressionism), Franz Roh was the first art critic to draw attention to Räderscheidt. Hartlaub invited him, as the only artist from Cologne, to the exhibition “Neue Sachlichkeit” (New Objectivity) in Mannheim. The “Gruppe Progressiver Künstler” (Group of Progressive Artists) was formed in Cologne. Artists associated with this movement include: Hoerle, Seiwert, Jankl Adler, Hans Schmidt Otto Freundlich, Raoul Haussmann, Margarete and Stanislaw Kubicki. They had regular get-togethers at Café Monopol.1926
He took a trip to Southern France, and created watercolour paintings and drawings. The new theme is “Maler und Modell” (The painter and the model)1927
He moved into his new studio in Cologne-Bickendorf.1928
He met Heinrich Maria Davringhausen. Mutual portrait works were painted.1929
Räderscheidt was selected for an exhibition of the “Deutscher Künstlerbund”. (Association of German Artists) The new theme: Streets with isolated single figures.1931
No further artistic nor personal contact with the Cologne Progressives.1933
He became acquainted with the patrons Rudolf Metzger and Ilse Metzger- Salberg. Räderscheidt considered leaving Germany. He travelled to Italy and painted townscapes of Rome and Naples.1934
By the end of the year, Räderscheidt left Cologne and moved to Berlin on the Motzensee together with his new partner Ilse Metzger-Salberg.1934/35
He emigrated to France via Switzerland and England.1937
Established studio in Paris, Rue des Plantes, and met again Max Ernst, member of the Surindépendents, built the house “Le Patio” in Sanary sur Mer.1938
In exile his works were strong, colourful pictures with figures. First internment in Les Milles at the instigation of the French who no longer trusted German refugees after the declaration of the war. Freed after 17 days1939
He lived in Sanary sur Mer and cooked for emigrant friends such as Thomas Mann, Lion Feuchtwanger, Alfred Kantorowicz1940
on the 21st of May he was interned for a second time along with Feuchtwanger, Kantorowicz and Hasenclever in Les Milles, a former tile-factory near Toulon
on the 21st of June Walter Hasenclever, his fellow inmate in Les Milles, poisoned himself because he was afraid of the advancing Germans
on the 22nd of June General Pétain signed an armistice agreement with Germany
He was transported to Bayonne by “Geisterzug” (Ghost Train) where he was handed over to the Germans. Together with Davringhausen and Kantorowicz, Räderscheidt, he managed to escape and went into hiding.1942
After Ernst Meyer, the son of Ilse Salberg, was arrested during a raid carried out by the French police and sent to a German concentration camp, they managed to escape from their hiding place in Barjols (Departement Le Var) in the French Alpes-Maritimes. A butcher from Barjols hid them among his goods and took them to the Swiss border that Räderscheidt, together with Ilse Salberg and her daughter Brigitte Metzger, crossed illegally.
1943
After being interned once again, he was spared deportation thanks to the help of Georg Schmitt, curator of the Museum of Art in Basel. He obtained a permanent residence permit as “private internee” at the Hotel Bären in Münchenbuchsee.1947
In order to pay the treatment expenses for Ilse Salberg who was now suffering from cancer, he worked obsessively for Swiss art collectors. They highly appreciated his “Französische Malerei” (French Painting - post-expressionist and post-cubist) After Ilse Salberg’s death he sold his entire Swiss oeuvre to the gallery Marbach in Bern. Back in Paris, he discovered the theft of his paintings that have been left at his Parisian studio (among them “New Objectivist” ones) and filed charges against ‘persons unknown’.
Ernst Meyer dies in the concentration camp at Auschwitz, Convoi Nr. 29 from Drancy to Auschwitz
1948
He met Gisèle Ribreau whom he later married.1949/50
Räderscheidt was forced to return to Cologne due to financial problems. He had a difficult fresh start but was able to secure his financial survival by painting portraits on commission, horses and landscapes.1956
After the difficult early years, he paints harmonious-rhythmic horse pictures.1957
Influenced by the West-German art scene, the L’Art Infomel and the “Ecole de Paris” whose goal was to turn away from representational art, Räderscheidt moved to abstraction and achieved a comprehensive ouvre by 1964
1963
He moved into his new studio, Landsbergstraße, Cologne1965
Beginning of a series of black-and-white paintings that displayed street scenes, crowds, and the recurring theme “Das Paar” (The Pair)1967
Räderscheidt suffered a cerebral stroke, tedious process of regaining vision
He created series of “Selbstportraits” (self-portraits), hand studies and powerful expressive tempera paintings.1970
Anton Räderscheidt died on March 8 in Cologne.
© Pascal Räderscheidt Köln 1997
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