Modernist fame and cultural regionalism: The works and reception of Emil Nolde in Hamburg, 1907-1937 (Germany)

Until now, it has been very difficult to locate and describe German Expressionist Emil Nolde in the art historical context out of which he emerged. Too often critics and scholars have uncritically described him as a rustic, land-bred loner by personality akin to all the northern German peasants supposedly eternally 'rooted' to the soil they tilled. The conditions of his rise to fame between 1907 and 1937 have rarely been compared to those of other modern artists, with whom Nolde had in fact much in common. I place Nolde in the cultural context of Hamburg where he first became famous and where other artists such as those of the Brucke , Sturm, and Blaue Reiter became differently famous at roughly the same time. I argue that Nolde's fame and success in the modernist project can only be understood by appreciating the cultural regionalism prevalent in Hamburg. Since the city of Hamburg was the central location of Nolde's self-promotion, its regionalism and Hansa identity played an understandably important role in shaping the artist's reputation. In particular, many of Nolde's supporters were invested in an intense post-unification competition between Hamburg and Berlin for cultural status. Berlin was broadly respected for its artistic scene, whereas Hamburg struggled with its long-time image as a booming port city filled with uncultured shipping merchants. Proponents of Hamburg struggled to assert the intellectual centrality of the city. Nolde eventually became a kind of figurehead for the regional and cultural prominence Hamburg's elite wished to achieve. Furthermore, he symbolized the regeneration of the whole of German culture for which northern Germany and specifically Hamburg were supposedly responsible. A close study of Nolde's works and exhibitions provides me with valuable insights into his market strategy. By comparing the programs of his supporters and his own market strategy, I argue that Nolde's art historical construction as a northern loner functioned as powerfully as support for the regional program of his supporters as it did for his painting.