Malkasten

Malkasten, meaning “paintbox” in English, is a German artists’ association based in Düsseldorf. Established in 1848 during the political and cultural upheavals of the March Revolution, it emerged from a gathering of painters and sculptors connected with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. The organization was conceived as a community in which artists of different aesthetic and political views could meet, debate artistic questions, support one another and socialize. Its name expressed the idea that many different “colors”—both artistic positions and political perspectives—could coexist within one association. The association’s original membership included prominent figures from Düsseldorf’s art world, including Theodor Hildebrandt, Heinrich Mücke, Karl Ferdinand Sohn, Johann Peter Hasenclever, Joseph Fay, Johann Wilhelm Preyer, Peter Schwingen and Emanuel Leutze. The founding circle also included Lorenz Clasen, editor of the satirical publication Düsseldorfer Monathefte. Although initially centered on professional artists, Malkasten soon admitted non-artists and became a broader meeting place for Düsseldorf’s intellectual and cultural life. The composer Robert Schumann joined in 1850, illustrating the association’s openness to artistic disciplines beyond painting. From its earliest years, Malkasten combined artistic discussion with public events and sociability. Its annual masked ball and carnival celebration, the Malkasten-Redoute, became a major feature of Düsseldorf’s cultural calendar and continued until 1938. Members also organized tableaux vivants, lectures, concerts, parades and commemorative festivals. In 1856, members associated with Emanuel Leutze and Hermann Becker helped convene a gathering of German visual artists in Bingen am Rhein. The meeting contributed to the creation of the Allgemeine Deutsche Kunstgenossenschaft, an early nationwide professional organization for artists in Germany. As membership expanded, the association sought a permanent home. It acquired land near Schloss Jägerhof, at the former garden of philosopher Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, and built its clubhouse between 1864 and 1867. The resulting Malkasten-Haus became the institutional center of the association. The site includes the historic Jacobihaus, the later Hentrichhaus and a landscaped park now known as Malkastenpark. These spaces have supported exhibitions, performances, lectures, dining and informal artistic exchange for generations. Malkasten’s history also reflects the tensions of German society. Its events brought together artists, civic officials and members of the public, and one 1877 presentation attended by Emperor Wilhelm I later inspired a mural in Düsseldorf’s town hall. The organization was also connected indirectly to the events surrounding the duel between Emil Hartwich and Armand von Ardenne in the 1880s; the relationship between Hartwich and Elisabeth von Ardenne, first established in a Malkasten setting, later influenced Theodor Fontane’s novel Effi Briest. During the 1920s, Malkasten continued its program of historical pageants, lectures and cultural festivals, including events associated with the Rhenish Millennium Celebration and Albrecht Dürer commemorations. The organization’s history during National Socialism is more conflicted. Many individual artists were persecuted during the Gleichschaltung, while the association’s officials accommodated the political regime and participated in nationalist ceremonies. The club survived the Great Depression and the Second World War, although its buildings suffered extensive damage. After 1945, Malkasten rebuilt its premises under plans by Helmut Hentrich and Hans Heuser. Hentrich also served as chairman of the revived association from 1945 to 1955. A significant institutional change occurred in 1977, when Helga Radener-Blaschke became the first woman admitted as a full member, ending a membership restriction that had persisted despite women’s earlier participation in the organization’s activities. Since the early 1990s, Malkasten has increasingly presented itself as an accessible cultural venue rather than a private artists’ club alone. Its program includes exhibitions, artist discussions, concerts, film screenings, lectures and other events, many of which are open to the public at no or modest cost. The Jacobihaus contains social and archival spaces, while the Hentrichhaus includes a theater, artist cellar, restaurant and bar. Malkastenpark has also become a public-facing part of the institution, including a beer garden established in 2014. The organization is supported by several related units, including the Künstlerverein, Weinkellerei Malkasten GmbH, hospitality operations and Stiftung Malkasten. The foundation has been recognized as a nonprofit organization since 2012 and focuses on preserving the historic buildings and park while helping maintain the association’s independence. Reported membership figures in 2019 included 302 regular members, approximately 170 extraordinary members who acted as friends or sponsors, and five honorary members. Malkasten remains an active Düsseldorf cultural institution whose identity combines artists’ self-organization, heritage preservation, public programming and social exchange.

Malkasten was founded in Düsseldorf in 1848, during the March Revolution, when artists were increasingly participating in political and civic discussions. At a festival organized by the Verein für demokratische Monarchie, painters and sculptors from the Düsseldorfer Malerschule contributed to the artistic program. During the gathering, they decided to establish an artists’ association. Karl Hübner proposed the name Malkasten, or “paintbox,” a metaphor for equality among different artistic and political “colors.” The founding membership comprised 112 people. It included academic teachers such as Theodor Hildebrandt, Heinrich Mücke and Karl Ferdinand Sohn, as well as artists including Johann Peter Hasenclever, Joseph Fay, Johann Wilhelm Preyer, Peter Schwingen and Emanuel Leutze. Lorenz Clasen, editor of Düsseldorfer Monathefte, was also involved. The statutes described the organization as an association for sociable artistic life, intended to discuss and advance the interests of art and artists while encouraging fellowship. Within a year, most of Düsseldorf’s male artists were reported to have joined. The later admission of non-artists broadened Malkasten into a meeting place for the city’s intellectual community; the composer Robert Schumann became a member in 1850. Malkasten developed a busy calendar of public and semi-public activities. Masked balls and carnival celebrations known as the Malkasten-Redoute were held annually until 1938. Members also staged theatrical presentations, tableaux vivants, concerts and lectures. In 1856, Emanuel Leutze, Hermann Becker and their associates helped organize a meeting of German visual artists in Bingen am Rhein. More than 160 artists from 21 cities attended, and the gathering helped lead to the founding of the Allgemeine Deutsche Kunstgenossenschaft, an important early national artists’ organization. The association’s growth made rented rooms increasingly unsuitable. From 1857, members pursued a permanent property. They eventually selected land near Schloss Jägerhof, associated with the former garden of philosopher Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi. Düsseldorf approved the acquisition in 1861, partly to prevent the site from being acquired by speculators. Chairman Otto Euler arranged a lottery to raise funds. Members donated paintings, watercolors, prints, lithographs, photographs and a marble sculpture, with the submitted works valued at 46,000 thalers. Construction began in 1864, and the new Malkasten-Haus opened in 1867. The grounds became part of the association’s identity. A pond featured a Venus de Milo-inspired statue cast from melted paint tubes, a playful emblem of the artists’ community. The site hosted important civic and cultural events, including a 1877 presentation attended by Emperor Wilhelm I. The staging depicted a historical episode involving Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and was later commemorated in a mural painted for Düsseldorf’s new town hall in 1894. Malkasten’s social setting also became connected with a nationally influential literary episode. In the early 1880s, Armand von Ardenne and his wife Elisabeth met the magistrate Emil Hartwich at a Malkasten event. Hartwich and Elisabeth subsequently entered into a relationship, which led to a duel in which Hartwich died. The affair later provided material for Theodor Fontane’s novel Effi Briest. The association remained active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It organized historical festivals and lectures, including events during the 1925 Rhenish Millennium Celebration and a 1928 festival honoring Albrecht Dürer. Writers such as Thomas Mann appeared in its lecture program. During the Nazi period, the position of Malkasten was contradictory. Individual members and artists were persecuted under Gleichschaltung, while the organization’s officials adapted to the regime and took part in nationalist ceremonies, including an event with the Militant League for German Culture and the planting of a “Hitler Oak.” Membership remained around 400 until the outbreak of the Second World War, and the association survived both the Depression and the Nazi dictatorship, though its institutional accommodation remains part of its historical record. After 1945, Malkasten’s buildings were heavily damaged and subsequently rebuilt according to plans by architects Helmut Hentrich and Hans Heuser. Hentrich chaired the revived organization from 1945 to 1955. Women had participated in Malkasten activities before they were granted full membership, but formal equality came only in 1977, when Helga Radener-Blaschke became the first woman admitted as a full member. Beginning in 1992, Malkasten pursued a more open relationship with the public. The Jacobihaus developed as a lounge and archive space, while the Hentrichhaus provided a theater, artist cellar, restaurant and bar. Malkastenpark became an additional venue for cultural and social use, with a beer garden opening in 2014. Some extensions and annexes have required continuing renovation, supported in part by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. The modern organization combines an artists’ association with related commercial and charitable structures. Its units include the Künstlerverein, Weinkellerei Malkasten GmbH, bar and restaurant operations, and Stiftung Malkasten. The foundation received nonprofit recognition in 2012 and supports the upkeep of the buildings and park, with the stated aim of preserving the association’s independence. Malkasten’s public program includes exhibitions, artist conversations, concerts, film screenings, lectures and other cultural events, many free or offered at low cost. In 2019, meeting minutes recorded 302 regular members, roughly 170 extraordinary members and five honorary members.

• 2014

  Beer garden opens in Malkastenpark

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  The park gains a beer garden, reinforcing the site’s public cultural and recreational role.

• 2012

  Foundation recognized as nonprofit

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  Stiftung Malkasten receives official nonprofit recognition to support preservation of the site.

• 1992

  Public-access orientation expands

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  Malkasten begins a sustained effort to open its premises and cultural program to the wider public.

• 1977

  Women admitted as full members

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  Helga Radener-Blaschke becomes the first woman accepted as a full member.

• 1945

  Postwar rebuilding begins

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  Malkasten reconstructs its damaged premises after the Second World War under the direction of architects Helmut Hentrich and Hans Heuser.

• 1938

  Final prewar Malkasten-Redoute

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  The association’s recurring masked-ball and carnival tradition continues through 1938.

• 1867

  Malkasten-Haus opens

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  The association inaugurates its purpose-built headquarters in the former Jacobi garden area of Pempelfort.

• 1861

  Property acquisition approved

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  Düsseldorf approves Malkasten’s acquisition of land near Schloss Jägerhof for a permanent clubhouse.

• 1856

  Bingen gathering helps launch a national artists’ cooperative

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  Malkasten members help convene artists from across Germany, contributing to the formation of the Allgemeine Deutsche Kunstgenossenschaft.

• 1850

  Robert Schumann joins

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  The composer Robert Schumann becomes a member, reflecting the association’s interdisciplinary cultural role.

• 1848

  Founding of Malkasten

  [1]Malkastenen.wikipedia.org

  Artists associated with Düsseldorf’s art scene establish Malkasten during the political upheavals of the March Revolution.

A historic, artist-led Düsseldorf cultural association that combines professional community, social exchange, heritage conservation and publicly accessible arts programming.

• Historic artists’ clubhouse · 1867

  Malkasten-Haus

  The association’s historic headquarters in Düsseldorf’s Pempelfort district. Opened in 1867, the complex developed from a permanent clubhouse into a multi-use cultural site for exhibitions, performances, social gatherings and organizational activities.

• Cultural and archival space

  Jacobihaus

  A historic component of the Malkasten grounds associated with the former Jacobi garden. It contains lounge and archive functions and contributes to the preservation and interpretation of the association’s artistic heritage.

• Performance and hospitality venue

  Hentrichhaus

  A later building within the Malkasten complex containing a theater, artist cellar, restaurant and bar. It supports the association’s public cultural program and its role as a gathering place for artists and visitors.

• Cultural park · 2014

  Malkastenpark

  The landscaped grounds surrounding the association’s buildings. The park functions as an outdoor setting for cultural events and social use and includes a beer garden established in 2014.

• Arts programming · 1992

  Public cultural program

  Malkasten organizes exhibitions, artist talks, concerts, film screenings, lectures and other events in its buildings and park. Programming is generally open to interested members of the public, often free or available at a modest price.

• 1933

  Accommodation with the Nazi regime

  Although many individual Malkasten artists were persecuted during the Gleichschaltung, the association’s officials adapted to National Socialist rule and participated in nationalist activities, including a ceremony organized with the Militant League for German Culture and the planting of a so-called Hitler Oak.

  Source

• 1882

  Hartwich–von Ardenne affair

  A relationship that began after a Malkasten event led to a duel in which magistrate Emil Hartwich was killed. The episode later became associated with Theodor Fontane’s novel Effi Briest.

  Source

Read more

• 1928Albrecht Dürer festival

  Düsseldorf · Germany

  Malkasten presented one of its final major prewar festivals dedicated to the artist Albrecht Dürer.

  Outcome. The event formed part of the association’s continuing program of artist commemorations and public cultural celebrations.

  Source
• 1925Rhenish Millennium Celebration

  Düsseldorf · Germany

  Members organized historical-themed parades involving hundreds of costumed participants as part of Düsseldorf’s Rhenish Millennium festivities.

  Outcome. The association reinforced its reputation for large-scale public pageantry and historical cultural events.

  Source
• 1877Historical tableaux for Wilhelm I

  Düsseldorf · Germany

  Malkasten staged a sequence of historical tableaux for an event attended by Emperor Wilhelm I, combining visual art, theater, music and civic ceremony.

  Outcome. The presentation was sufficiently influential to inspire a later mural in Düsseldorf’s town hall.

  Source
• 1856First gathering of German visual artists

  Germany

  Malkasten members helped convene a large meeting in Bingen am Rhein that brought together more than 160 artists from 21 cities and contributed to the creation of a national German artists’ cooperative.

  Outcome. The gathering helped establish the Allgemeine Deutsche Kunstgenossenschaft.

  Source

• 2014

  Expand public use of MalkastenparkOther

  Background

  Malkasten was developing its grounds as a public-facing cultural and leisure environment.

  Action taken

  A beer garden was opened in Malkastenpark.

  Aftermath

  The park gained an additional hospitality and social function alongside its cultural uses.

  Source

• 2012

  Create a nonprofit preservation structureStrategy

  Background

  The historic buildings and park require continuing maintenance while the association seeks to preserve its autonomy.

  Action taken

  Stiftung Malkasten was formally recognized as a nonprofit foundation supporting the buildings, park and institutional independence.

  Aftermath

  The foundation became a dedicated vehicle for heritage preservation and long-term support of the association.

  Source

• 1992

  Open the association to a wider publicStrategy

  Background

  Malkasten sought to move beyond the model of a primarily private artists’ club and make its historic premises more publicly relevant.

  Action taken

  The organization expanded public exhibitions, talks, concerts, screenings, lectures and other cultural activities.

  Aftermath

  The buildings and park became an increasingly accessible cultural venue, with many events free or low-priced.

  Source

• 1861

  Acquire land for a permanent headquartersStrategy

  Background

  Growing membership made rented meeting rooms increasingly inadequate and expensive.

  Action taken

  Malkasten sought and received approval to acquire land near Schloss Jägerhof, at the former Jacobi garden.

  Aftermath

  The decision enabled construction of the Malkasten-Haus, which opened in 1867 and became the association’s enduring institutional base.

  Source

1. 1Malkastenen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Künstlerverein Malkasten official websitemalkasten.org