Description [EN]
At Goetheplatz 9b in Weimar stands the Kunsthalle "Harry Graf Kessler", a historic exhibition building erected in 1880 in the Venetian Renaissance style. The Kunsthalle is named after the patron and reformer Harry Graf Kessler; the realization of the building was carried out largely under the direction of the Weimarer Kunstsammlungen. A brickyard had previously occupied the site; the grand ducal couple attended the inauguration.
Originally the building housed the "Permanente Kunstausstellung" of the Großherzoglichen Museums für Kunst und Kunstgewerbe. The cultural upswing was marked by the Max-Klinger exhibition of 1903; between 1903 and 1906 the Kunsthalle displayed works by significant artists such as Max Klinger, Max Liebermann, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Auguste Renoir, thereby gaining recognition beyond the region. In 1903 the Deutscher Künstlerbund was also founded here. After the so-called Rodin scandal, Harry Graf Kessler had to cease his activities.
Over the course of the 20th century the building’s use changed: parts of it served as offices of the Rentamt, particularly during the Nazi era. From the 1950s the site experienced a revival as an exhibition venue; a plaque commemorates the building’s namesake.
Since 2006 the Kunsthalle has been operated by the Stadtdirektion via the Stadtmuseum. The building is listed as an Einzeldenkmal in the Liste der Kulturdenkmale in Weimar. The view of the Kunsthalle is partially obscured by the neighboring building on Goetheplatz, erected in the 1930s; a corridor leads to the courtyard and to the Kunsthalle’s changing exhibitions. National Socialist building plans at that time led to the redesign of the surrounding houses, resulting in the elimination of some addresses.