Sammlung Prinzhorn

Description

On the hospital campus of Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, the Sammlung Prinzhorn collects and presents artistic works from psychiatric institutions; it includes both historical holdings and works by patients from later decades and is affiliated with the Klinik für Allgemeine Psychiatrie.

The origins and development of the collection go back to an early teaching collection of Heidelberg’s psychiatric clinic, which was significantly expanded after the First World War by the art historian and physician Hans Prinzhorn. Prinzhorn systematically collected works from numerous institutions in the German-speaking area; by the time he left the clinic in 1921 the collection had already reached several thousand objects. The collection became publicly accessible at the beginning of the 21st century, after holdings had been processed, conserved and a former lecture hall converted into exhibition and storage rooms.

The historical holdings comprise around 6,000 works by approximately 450 patients, predominantly from the period around 1890 to 1933. The variety of techniques and materials ranges from drawings, watercolours and oil paintings to textile works, notations as well as books and notebooks; many works are executed on fragile everyday materials such as newspaper or sugar bags. About 80 percent of the historical makers are male. Among the names today regarded as canonical are Else Blankenhorn, Franz Karl Bühler, August Natterer, Agnes Richter, Oskar Voll and Adolf Wölfli.

After 1945 the collection grew substantially; the more recent section comprises several tens of thousands of objects and includes estates, studio holdings and works that stand in the tradition of Outsider Art. In recent years the holdings have been significantly expanded, including extensive acquisitions of early and late works by Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler as well as additional works that broaden the spectrum after World War II.

From a conservation perspective the collection poses an ongoing challenge because of fragile supports and earlier improper storage; restoration work began as early as the 1980s. Today the Sammlung Prinzhorn serves as an internationally recognised centre for research and exhibition, documenting and critically reflecting on the tensions between art, illness and the processing of traumatic life histories.