Born in Elberfeld, Fritz Roeber (1851-1924) studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, where he specialized in history painting with great success. However, with a few exceptions, his works have fallen into oblivion today. From the 1890s onwards, his art took a back seat to completely different tasks: with great negotiating skills and commitment, he initiated international exhibitions in Düsseldorf, also thanks to his extensive contacts with industrialists and the imperial family. As the "last" academy director at the time of the Düsseldorf School of Painting, he pushed for important reforms and had to mediate between the traditional art academy and the modern young artists. The lecture presents Roeber as an artist, but also as a personality in Rhineland cultural politics.

Anja Roser is an art historian and has been curator of the Dr. Axe Foundation's Kunstkabinett since April 2024. In her dissertation, she is researching the life and work of Fritz Roeber and his influence in Düsseldorf around the turn of the century.

Illustration: Fritz Roeber, Triumph of Truth, design for a mosaic at the Alte Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, ca. 1886, oil on canvas, 97.0 × 141.5 cm, Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie, inv. no. A III 878

Time: 3.30 p.m.
Cost: free
Location: Dahlem-Kronenburg, Hasenberghof of the Dr. Axe-Stiftung, Gerichtsstr. 12
Info tel.: 0228. 241218
Email: info@axe-stiftung.de

Registration required by 24.04.2025!