In the 1950s, Ernst Schroeder (born 1928 in Stettin, died 1989 in Hamburg) belonged to the so-called “Berlin School”, a group of painter friends in East Berlin whose ethical and aesthetic approach had a particular influence on the development of art at the time and on subsequent generations.
Image gallery
Ernst Schroeder, Schneckengehäuse, Seestern und Kanne, um 1955, Beize, Tusche und Wasserfarben auf braunem Karton, 24,3 x 36 cm
Ernst Schroeder studied painting under Max Pechstein at the Berlin-Charlottenburg Academy of Fine Arts from 1949 to 1954 and was a master student at the German Academy of Arts under Otto Nagel and Heinrich Ehmsen from 1956 to 1958. At the end of his time as a master student, he returned to Hamburg due to illness and largely ceased his artistic activities.
Ernst Schroeder's work is characterized by the landscape of his homeland: the Baltic coast, the sea and the harbours of Pomeranian towns. His still lifes are also based on objects from this area. In the second half of the 1950s, he devoted himself in parallel to the subject of the big city. His choice of motifs is unspectacular.
However, the objects acquire a metaphysical dimension of touching urgency and authenticity through a high painterly standard based on European modernism and a focus on the “simple” and “everyday”, which simultaneously became an expression of the existential attitude to life of his generation.
Although Ernst Schroeder's work is only rarely found in museums and at auctions, it enjoys unbroken admiration and respect among artists, art historians and collectors in East Berlin.
Exhibition period: 09.04. to 08.06.2025
Guided tours: every Wednesday at 18:00
Duration: approx. 30 to 60 minutes
Event:
- Thursday, 22.05.2025, 19:00
- On the topicality of Ernst Schroeder's work
- Matthias Flügge, Wolfgang Leber and Jörg Makarinus in conversation
- Moderation: Annette Tietz
Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday
12:00 - 20:00
Saturday and Sunday
14:00 - 20:00
Location: Gallery Pankow
Breite Straße 8
13187 Berlin
(Guided tours and Events in German)
Additional information
Participating artists
Ernst Schroeder
