Gustav Kirstein
Gustav Kirstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1870-02-24 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | 1934-02-14 |
| Occupation(s) | Publisher, author, art collector |
| Known for | Founder and publisher of Der Kunstmarkt; chairman of Leipziger Bibliophilen-Abend and Leipziger Kunstverein; art collection including works by Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth, Max Klinger |
Gustav Kirstein (24 February 1870 – 14 February 1934) was a German publisher, author, and collector of art, originating from a Jewish background.
Life
The son of a physician, Kirstein began his career studying pharmacy and worked as a pharmacy assistant before transitioning into the publishing industry. He became affiliated with the publishing firm E. A. Seemann, attaining partnership status on 1 October 1899 and eventually serving as its managing director. In 1923, Elert Seemann, the founder's son and an early member of the Nazi party, joined the company's leadership team.
Kirstein was the founder and publisher of the journal Der Kunstmarkt (1904–1926) as well as the "Dehmel-Gesellschaft." He owned Leipzig-based cliché businesses named "Kirstein & Co." and "Wendler, Kirstein & Co." Additionally, he wrote articles concerning copyright law for the Börsenverein der Deutschen Buchhändler and became a member of the German Book Trade Association in May 1904. Beginning in 1927, he actively advocated for maintaining the 30-year copyright protection period for literary works, gathering over 800 signatures from notable personalities.
On 26 June 1922, Kirstein was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Technical University of Aachen in recognition of his achievements in art historical scholarship through his roles as publisher, editor, and writer.
Art collector
From May 1912 until early 1930, Kirstein served as chairman of the "Leipziger Bibliophilen-Abend." Alongside his wife Cläre "Clara" Therese (née Stein), he was deeply engaged in art collecting. The Dutch Restitution Committee identifies Kirstein as a patron of prominent artists including Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth, and Max Klinger. His collection featured works by Max Klinger, Max Liebermann, Édouard Manet, Adolph Menzel, Lovis Corinth, Käthe Kollwitz, Georg Kolbe, Carl Spitzweg, and Hans Thoma. Furthermore, he held the position of chairman at the Leipziger Kunstverein.
Nazi persecution, suicide, seizure of art collection
Following the Nazi regime’s rise to power in 1933, Kirstein was compelled to resign from all public offices and faced pressure from Seemann to depart from the publishing house by June that year. After his death in 1934, his wife took over management of the publishing company until it ceased operations in 1938.
In 1939, the Gestapo confiscated Kirstein’s art collection and transferred it to the Leipzig gallery C.G. Boerner; forty-four artworks were stored by Erhardt Schneider. Proceeds from sales were deposited into a frozen account. Clara Kirstein took her own life in 1939 after her emigration attempt to the United States was denied. Their daughters escaped to America early on and survived World War II. The dispersed collection later contributed to acquisitions by collectors such as Bernhard Sprengel, whose donations became foundational for Hanover’s Sprengel Museum.
Family
Kirstein’s marriage resulted in two daughters: Gabriele (born 1905) and Marianne (born 1907), both of whom emigrated from Germany at a young age.
Restitution of Nazi-looted art
In 1964, the Kirstein family filed claims seeking restitution for Nazi-looted property; however, these requests were initially denied. After 44 nations endorsed guidelines at the 1998 Washington Conference On Holocaust-Era Assets to reassess museum holdings for assets lost during the Holocaust, official attitudes began to change. By 2000, two German museums had restituted more than 80 artworks to Kirstein’s heirs, including The Lute Player by Max Klinger, Walchensee, Johannisnacht by Lovis Corinth, and Three Studies of Heads of Women (1883) by Max Klinger—the latter returned by Leipzig’s Museum der Bildenden Künste.
In 2020, a provenance researcher resigned from the Georg Schäfer Museum protesting its unwillingness to restitute artworks with questionable provenance linked to collections such as Kirstein’s. The heirs persist in pursuing provenance documentation and enforcement of the Washington Principles regarding works believed to have been sold under coercion or confiscated during Nazi rule.
Selected Publications
- On the Issue of "30 or 50 Years": A Plea to Retain the 30-Year Protection Period [Regarding Literary Work Protection], 1930
- Discussions on Copyright Protection between Germany and the USSR, Börsenverein der Deutschen Buchhändler, 1931
- Max Liebermann on His 60th Birthday, E.A. Seemann, 1907, p. 237
- Recent Works by Georg Kolbe, E. A. Seemann, 1908, p. 199
- The Life of Adolph Menzel, E. A. Seemann, 1919
As Publisher
- The World of Max Klinger, Furche, 1917
- Max Klinger: Six Colored Reproductions of His Works, E.A. Seemanns Künstlermappen, E.A. Seemann, 1921
- Diary 1893–1894, State Academy for Graphic Arts and Book Trade, Publications of the Dehmel Society, 1921
- My Life, Dehmel Society, Publications of the Dehmel Society, 1922
References
- The Publisher of Tomorrow as We Wish Him to Be, Verlag der Freunde Kirsteins, 1930
- Kirstein, Gustav, Publisher, Walter de Gruyter, Volume 5: Hitz – Kozub, 2006, p. 651
- Looted Art: Embarrassing Delays. In: Der Spiegel No. 40, 2000
- Illegal Trafficking of Cultural Goods, Walter de Gruyter, 2010, p. 726
- E. A. Seemann Book and Art Publishing House, Leipzig, Ch. Links Verlag, 2013, p. 160
- Kirstein, Gustav. In: Joseph Walk (ed.): Brief Biographies on the History of Jews 1918–1945, Saur, Munich 1988, p. 194
External Resources
- Business and Partnership Agreements between E. A. Seemann and Gustav Kirstein ("On July 1st, 1933 the partnership contract between Elert Seemann and Gustav Kirstein for the company E. A. Seemann was terminated. The latter was compelled to leave the firm and was compensated with the publisher Seemann & Co., which specialized in printing art sheets.") – archiv.sachsen.de
- Binding Opinion on the Dispute Concerning Restitution of Max Liebermann’s Drawing 'Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam' – restitutiecommissie.nl
- Leipzig: Cläre and Gustav Kirstein (Trufanowstraße 8) – stolpersteine-leipzig.de
- Works by Kirstein, Gustav at the State and University Library Dresden – katalogbeta.slub-dresden.de
- Literature by and about Gustav Kirstein in the Saxon Bibliography