The Kölner Werkschulen (Cologne Academy of Fine and Applied Arts), formerly Cologne Art and Craft Schools, was a university in Cologne training artists in visual arts, architecture and design from 1926 to 1971.
History
Origins
The origins of the Kölner Werkschulen can be found in the Sunday school established by the painter Egidius Mengelberg in 1822 at the Jesuit buildings. This was incorporated into the "Royal Prussian Provincial Vocational School Cologne" founded in 1833. In 1910 Emil Thormählen came to Cologne to develop a School of Applied Arts as part of the German Werkbund movement. However his plans to build a new school building had to be postponed due to the outbreak of war in 1914. When the plans could not be taken forward immediately after the war, Thormählen retired November 1919. In April 1924, the architect Martin Elsaesser was the director of the school and designed a "Red House", an expressionist, red brick building on Ubierring 40.
1926–1933
In 1926 the school was reorganized and the Mayor Konrad Adenauer, designated it the "Cologne Werkschulen", in accordance with the Bauhaus point of view. He said, "Bonn is for science (= University) and Dusseldorf for Art (= Academy) but in Cologne I want both." Adenauer got his way by 1919 with the University of Cologne, and in 1924 with his Cologne art school (Werkschulen), with both buildings almost within sight of each other.
1933–1945
Under the rule of the NSDAP the German Werkbund movement was dissolved and the name of the Werkschulen was changed to Kölner Meisterschule (Cologne Master School). The new director Karl Berthold introduced the anti-semitic ideology of Hitler.
After 1946
Structure in 1971
Directors
1879–1906: Friedrich Romberg, engineer
1906–1910: Gustav Halmhuber, architect and painter
1910–1919, Emil Thormählen, painter and architect
1920–1926: Martin Elsässer, architect
1926–1931: Richard Riemerschmid, painter, architect and designer
1931–1933: Karl With, art historian
1933–1945: Karl Berthold, goldsmith
1946–1957: August Hoff, art historian
1958–1965: Friedrich Vordemberge, painter
1965–1971: Werner Schriefers, painter and designer
Lecturers
Architecture and interior design
Martin Elsaesser (1920–1925) Dominikus Böhm (1926–1934/1947–1953) Richard Riemerschmid (1926–1931) Stefan Leuer (1954–1978) Georg Lünenborg (1948–1967) Gernot Lucas (1969–2003) Wolf Nöhren (1970–1973)
Painting
Johan Thorn Prikker (1926–1932) Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann (1928–1933) Richard Seewald (1924–1931) Otto Gerster (1939–1972) Stefan Wewerka (1975–1993) Daniel Spoerri (1978–1982) Hans Rolf Maria Koller (1963–1973) Dieter Kraemer (1963–1993) Friedrich Vordemberge (1946–1976) Dieter Horký (1971–1993) Karl Marx (1959–1986) Wilhelm Teuwen (1946–1967) Elisabeth Vary (1964–1970–1993) Werner Schriefers (1965–1989) Gerhard Kadow (1967–1974) Franz Dank (1961–1993) Hubert Schaffmeister (1952–1976)
Sculpture and plastic arts
Anton Berger (1964–1989) Hans Karl Burgeff (1968–1988) Ludwig Gies (1950–1962) Georg Grasegger (1901–1927) Josef Jaekel (1947–1975) Dorkas Reinacher-Härlin (1924–1929) Titus Reinarz (1981–1992) Kurt Schwippert (1963–1968) Wolfgang Wallner (1912–1950) Hans Wissel (1925–1933)
Graphic design
Richard Riemerschmid (1926–1931) Jakob Erbar (1926–1933) Heinrich Hußmann (1928–1965) Alfred Will (1929–1933/1946–1971) Anton Wolff (1942–1976) Jürgen Klauke (1970–1975) Heinz Edelmann (1976–1978)
Goldsmithing
Ernst Riegel (1913–1933) Elisabeth Treskow (1948–1964)
Photography
Arno Jansen (1965–2003)
Art history
Wilhelm Lotz
Karl With (1925–1928/1931–1933) August Hoff (1946–1957)
Ceramics and industrial design
Dorkas Reinacher-Härlin (1924–1929) Ludwig König (1930–1933) Georg Roth (1924–1964) Walter Maria Kersting (1927–1932) Herbert Schultes (1968–1970)
Guest lecturers
Bazon Brock (art theory) Birgit Hein (film) Wulf Herzogenrath (art settlement) Friedrich Wolfram Heubach (psychology) Jörg Immendorff (painting) Leo Kofler (sociology) Ingo Kümmel (art dealing) Ulrike Rosenbach (video action) Günter Karl Friedrich Schwichtenberg (cybernetics)