Kassel Art University: Insights into Nebel's hidden estate!

Kassel Art University: Insights into Nebel's hidden estate!

On July 14, 2025, an important artistic estate by Kay Heinrich Nebel was discovered, which includes 857 works on paper and 56 works on canvas or wood. This collection, which is kept by the artist's youngest daughter in Washington, not only provides insight into Nebel's work, but also into the history of the Kassel Art School in the New Objectivity era.

Nebel, who was represented in the artistic exhibition “Neue Sachlichkeit” in the Kunsthalle Mannheim in 1925, was a professor and temporary director of the Werkakademie Kassel from the early 1920s to the 1950s. During this time he had a significant influence on the direction of the art school, which was considered one of the most progressive educational institutions in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Over the last two years, Prof. Kai-Uwe Hemken has worked intensively on Nebel's estate and researched it according to professional museum standards.

Insights into an eventful past

The estate contains several letters that refer to the situation at the art school in the 1920s. This correspondence is particularly important because it also documents Nebel's critical attitude towards National Socialism. Despite the defamation of his works as “degenerate” and his applications to join the NSDAP, letters prove that he was an opponent of the National Socialist regime.

In addition to the artistic discussion, the development of the estate is a central component of an art-scientific research project on the history of the Kassel Art University from 1900 to 1960, which is led by Prof. Hemken. This project is significantly supported by financial resources from the University of Kassel and the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

Planned exhibitions and collaborations

A special presentation of the estate is planned for 2027 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Kassel School of Art. A joint exhibition with the Hessian State Museum and the Neue Galerie is also planned. The collaboration with archives and museums throughout Germany also expands the research project considerably and brings to light new insights into the role of the university during the turbulent years of the Weimar Republic and National Socialism.

The roots of the art school go back to 1777, when the “L’Académie de Peinture et de Sculpture de Cassel” was founded. Today's orientation is the result of the merger of the State University of Fine Arts with the Werkkunstschule in the 1970s. On August 2, 1971, the institution was integrated into the newly founded Kassel Comprehensive University.

The discovery of Kay Heinrich Nebel's estate is not only an important part of the artist's history, but also offers valuable insights into the development of the Kassel Art School, which is in constant change and whose importance in the German art scene remains unbroken.