Maintal honors three outstanding personalities with a gold needle!

Maintal honors three outstanding personalities with a gold needle!

As part of a solemn event, three extraordinary personalities for their life's work were awarded in Maintal. The honored are the contemporary artists Prof. Raimer Jochims and Hans Ticha as well as the volunteer Herbert Begemann, who deals intensively with the culture of memory. Mayor Monika Böttcher and other city representatives presented the Golden Maintal needle, and those honored contributed to the city's Golden Book.

Prof. Raimer Jochim, known for his chromatic painting, teaches free painting and art theory at the Frankfurt Städelschule. His works are represented in well -known collections, and the Eliashof Foundation, which was founded in 2018, has set itself the goal of bundle and making his works accessible. This initiative is in full swing: around 2100 works, including early chromatic paintings and innovative chipboard pictures, have been documented and are available online. The foundation will continuously update the data and the extensive collection of paper work is currently in progress. For more information about Jochims ’works, interested parties can contact the foundation directly.

commitment to the culture of memory

Herbert Begemann is an integral part of the cultural landscape in Main Valley. From 1977 to 2012 he worked as head of the youth, culture and sport. His commitment to the Brüder-Schönfeld-Forum, which he founded in 1997, is particularly worth mentioning to deal with the crimes of National Socialism. Begemann also documents the 77 stumbling blocks in Maintal, which are reminiscent of the Jewish fellow citizens who were pursued during the Third Reich. In his laudation, Monika Böttcher praised both his life's work and his tireless commitment in the city.

Hans Ticha, the third winner, is known as a graphic artist and illustrator. With his socially critical art, he sums up topics and illustrated works by authors such as Brecht and Kästner. His clear geometric formal language and the often ironic visual language have made him a name in the art scene.

The importance of art in memory

The award of the three personalities has a deep reference to the processing of the past, especially with regard to the crimes of National Socialism. In this dark time, art was often used as a means to propagate certain ideologies, while numerous artists who did not correspond to the "Aryan" ideally to be excluded from artistic work. An example is Alfred Rosenberg, who published the book "The Myth of the 20th Century" in 1930 and demanded an art policy that should strengthen the "racial substance" of the people. The influence of such currents led to many artists persecuted or pushed out of their professions, which led to a cultural standstill that also affected the diversity of the art of the Weimar Republic

The honors in Maintal recognize the commitment of artists and volunteers, which contributes to not being forgotten these dark chapters of history. The events and exhibitions, which are also initiated by personalities such as Begemann, are of immense importance for cultural and historical education.