Bruno Cassirer
Bruno Cassirer ( born December 12, 1872 in Breslau, † October 29, 1941 in Oxford) was a publisher, gallery owner and horse breeder in Berlin.
Life and publishing activities
Bruno Cassirer was born as the second child of the Jewish couple Julius Cassirer and his wife Julcher (Julie ). 1890 Cassirer made his Abitur in Berlin at the Leibniz -Gymnasium. With his cousin Paul Cassirer, he opened on 20 September 1898 in Berlin, Bruno & Paul Cassirer, art and publishing house in the former Victoria Road 35 near Kemper Place. The two publishing founders were not only cousins, but also at the same time -in-law, as Bruno Paul's sister Else (1873-1943) married.
Among the most important contacts during the early years in Berlin included the painter and graphic artist Max Liebermann and Max Slevogt. They were members of the established on May 2, 1898 Artists' Association Berlin Secession, by the met many important personalities of the cultural life of Berlin, the two cousins. At the suggestion of the President Liebermann and the member Walter Leistikov the Cassirer were appointed as secretaries for the Secession, which gave them a prominent position not only within the organization but also on the art market. Her first gallery exhibition, they dedicated the paintings of Max Liebermann, which were shown along with images of Edgar Degas and Constantin Meunier.
In the following three years, the arts and publishing house presented the main objective to establish the art movement of Impressionism in the audience. To this end, the cousins have focused on the works of Max Slevogt, Max Liebermann and Lovis Corinth, who represented their opinion, the artistic avant-garde in Germany.
On August 30, 1901 Bruno and Paul dissolved their joint venture on because of strong personal differences. Paul Cassirer led the gallery and the art trade on, while Bruno Cassirer maintained the publisher, with whom he moved into the Derfflingerstraße 15 in Berlin -Tiergarten. Both publishers were limited to 1908 each in their respective division. After the separation, Bruno Cassirer broke off contact with the Secession, whereas Paul was still a member and 1912 president of the Society was. However, as supported by the Association continue its moral Founded in 1902, monthly art and artists that was minted from 1907 until her recruitment by the Nazis in 1933 by Karl Scheffler as editor in chief.
The division had the company a sustainable competitive situation of the two publishers result that the re- founded in 1920 by Paul Cassirer magazine PAN was noticeable especially in the first years, which was published from 1895 to 1900. Nevertheless, their publishing programs supplemented in part (especially in the art book range), and many artists like Karl Walser, Rudolf Grossmann, Hans Meid, but also Liebermann and Slevogt were still active in both publishers.
Although Slevogt also stood with Paul Cassirer in contact, he published most of his works at Bruno Cassirer, on which the Artist maintained a close relationship. Among the most important published books in which he tested a new drawing style included Tales of 1001 Nights: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Improvisations (1903 ) and Sinbad the Sailor (1907). The publisher himself published not only the books of the artist, but also brought his ideas and suggestions for the formation of the graphics as they arise largely with a.
1903 Christian Morgenstern resigned as literary editor in the publishing house, under whose direction the magazine was published the theater. Here, a total issued during his lifetime, and five more from his estate four books of the poet.
From 1931 to 1933 Bruno Cassirer ran the stud Lindenhof north of Templin. Before buying the Lindenhof Cassirer had already operated a farm in Damsbrück. Since 1899, Cassirer had discovered the love of equestrian sports and imports in addition to its publishing activities first-class American horse and was thus become one of the most important trotting breeders in Germany. From 1913 to 1933 he was also closely associated with the trotting Marie village, as an investor and for many years as Chairman of the operators association. Superior Father horses on Lindenhof were Colonel Bosworth and the Hambletonian winner Walter Dear, whose first son Probst trotting story wrote at international level. Cassirer sold the stud in 1933. He was succeeded as owners until 1945, his long-time horse trainer and friend Charlie Mills, with the Cassirer appears to be a gentleman's agreement, graduated, consequently Mills should take the official management, while Cassirer forwarded the actual stud operation. Charlie Mills won as a driver in 1934 with Cassirer horse Walter Dear Prix d' Amérique in the Paris. Lindenhof at that time had 30 mares.
In 1936, the last book published by Cassirer. On February 25, 1937 Jewish publishers membership in the Reich Chamber ( RSK ) has been withdrawn. Part of the Cassirer family emigrated in 1938 to Oxford, where Bruno Cassirer's son Günther Hell ( George Hill ) continued the tradition of the publisher and the company as Cassirer ( Publ ) Ltd founded. The endeavor B. Cassirer, build the publishing along with his editor Max Tau in England again, however, failed. One of the first books in English included the letter editions of Edgar Degas and Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin's Noa Noa. Furthermore, here the complete catalog raisonné of Goya's graphics was moved. The publisher whose books will be delivered by the company Faber and Faber in London, still exists today.
Publishing program
In the first years of its activities, especially Russian authors determined the image of the company. To this end, the cousins had acquired the rights of Dostoevsky and Gorky by S. Fischer Verlag. In addition, published by them the works of Tolstoy in a total of 15 volumes.
Another focus in the program were essential woodcut and engraving works of the Renaissance, such as Il Trionfo della Fede or Biblia Pauperum. The property, art and culture had a wide range, by writings on architecture as well as about the arts and crafts published. A major concern of the publisher is to publish biographies and life testimonies of artists was, among other things, Edgar Degas, Max Liebermann, Jozef Israels and Ludwig van Beethoven. Furthermore, Cassirer not published a few titles that dealt with Impressionism, Émile Zola's like painting or Proust Eduard Manet. Memories. In the publishing further nonfiction, sat down with the artistic techniques such as lithography or the stained glass apart published. Cassirer was able to win many major art scholars of the time such as Paul Kristeller, Max J. Friedländer, Max Leers and Gustav Pauli for the design of its publications. He sat up with his books primarily to the educated and financially strong middle class that could afford the high-quality productions.
Another sector in the publishing directory took the belletristic literature, however, played a minor role in comparison to the art books. The author Robert Walser came out particularly in this area and Bruno Cassirer published texts Siblings Tanner and Jakob von Gunten. A diary. In addition, the publisher opened a storybook series, which had until 1927 a total of 15 tracks. However, these works were intended by their elaborate equipment more for collectors than for children.
Since the 30s, the house became the center of young authors. At this time pulled the publisher also considering to merge with S. Fischer, said canceled at the last second. Starting in 1933, many authors were of Jewish origin referred to as undesirable (eg Georg Fink = Kurt Munzer, Albert Lamb or Ludwig Winder ), followed by B. Cassirer focused on the writings of Christian Morgenstern. In 1928, joined lecturer Max Tau could with his nose for talent help the publisher again to the upsurge.