Paul's House at Konteksty Festival of Ephemeral Art in Sokołowsko

Paul's House

at Konteksty Festival of Ephemeral Art in Sokołowsko, Poland

Curated by Marta Czyż 

Friday, July 18 2025, 18:30 

The performance Paul's House by Philipp Gufler explores who owns the memory and history of artist Paul Hoecker (1854–1910). After having been almost entirely forgotten for over a century, the performance stresses the urgency to celebrate his work and legacy in Poland and Germany. 

Paul Hoecker was an influential, long overlooked figure in the Munich art scene around 1900. As a painter, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and co-founder of the Munich Secession, he was active in a phase of fundamental upheaval at the interface of tradition and modernism. After international success through his participation in the first three Venice Biennales and the World's Fair in Chicago, a scandal forced him to resign from his professorship in 1897 - caused by homophobic rumours about a painting of the Virgin Mary for which a male sex worker was the model. In the following years, he lived in self-imposed exile in Italy, on Capri and in Rome, before returning to his birthplace of Oberlangenau (now Długopole Górne) in Silesia in 1901.

Together with Stefan Gruhne, Nicholas Maniu and Christina Spachtholz, Philipp Gufler is part of the Paul Hoecker Research Group at the self-organized Forum Queeres Archiv München since 2019. One aim of the research group is to draw attention to Paul Hoecker's work and life outside Germany, particularly in his birthplace, today's Poland. Paul Hoecker immortalised his birthplace in several paintings. In April 2025, Philipp Gufler visited the Hoecker-House. 

Paul's House describes the life and work of Paul Hoecker as a shared German-Polish queer history. At the Konteksty Festival in Sokolowsko near Długopole Górne, Philipp Gufler will be showing a performance about his artistic exploration of Paul Hoecker's birthplace.

 

Photos: Marcela Paniak & Tomek Ogrodowczyk

Remembering Paul at Manifold Books, Amsterdam

Manifold Books #24
Remembering Paul
Paul Hoecker Research Group
with works by Paul Hoecker
and Philipp Gufler
21/09/'24-26/10/'24

Opening
21/09/'24, 4-6pm
location: MAP

We would like to invite you to the opening of Remembering Paul by the Paul Hoecker Research Group (art historians Nicholas Maniu and Christina Spachtholz, architect Stefan Gruhne and artist Philipp Gufler) with works by Paul Hoecker and Philipp Gufler.

Throughout his life, the Munich based artist and teacher Paul Hoecker (1854-1910) has been an inspiration to artists of various generations. A founding member of the Munich Secession and a true innovator, during his professorship at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts he brought his students in contact with new movements in painting, such as Impressionism. In 1898 however, a scandal forced him to resign from this position, as he allegedly used a male sex worker as a model for his depiction of the Madonna in the painting Ave Maria. However, the true underlying reason was likely the revelation of his own homosexuality. Although he continued to be supported by his students, following his death in 1910, his work was largely forgotten. Remembering Paul is not only an ode to the artist and his work, but it also makes space for queer histories and intergenerational grieving in a wider sense.

Remembering Paul showcases letters, sketches and photographs on loan from the grassroots archive Forum Queeres Archiv München (FQAM); two prints by Philipp Gufler after a portrait by Paul Hoecker of Nino Cesarini in Capri; as well as a small interior painting by the artist and a slide show comprising all of his paintings known so far. Many of Paul Hoecker's works were lost over time, but throughout this projection, these otherwise vanished pieces find representation within an exhibition, offering them a new life and audience. Consisting of members of the FQAM, the Paul Hoecker Research Group has been tracing back the individual paintings forming his oeuvre, spanning from Dutch genre paintings to religious moral paintings, landscapes, Pierrot figures, and, after his dismissal from the academy, also more homoerotic portraits. After having been almost entirely forgotten for over a century, this show stresses the urgency to celebrate his work and legacy.

Manifold Books
Kraijenhoffstraat 34
1018RL Amsterdam

Open
Fri + Sat 1 - 5 p.m. 
and by appointment

Mourning across time – An interview with Philipp Gufler

In light of Manifold Books exhibition series The Sphinx’s Riddle, Philipp Gufler, alongside the Paul Hoecker Research Group, orchestrated an archival exhibition centering the largely forgotten figure of Paul Hoecker, a 19th-century German painter and professor, who, after a scandal related to his sexuality, was essentially exiled from art history. Sara Giannini sat down with Philipp Gufler to discuss the significance of Paul Hoecker’s legacy and the archival methodologies and strategies the research group employs in their ongoing work of queer, transgenerational remembering.

READ MORE

Photos: Lazimg or Lazoo

Forschungsgruppe zu Paul Hoecker / Research group on Paul Hoecker

Im Oktober 2019 bildete sich eine Forschungsgruppe am Forum Queeres Archiv München zu Paul Hoecker. Sie möchte das Leben und das Werk von Paul Hoecker erforschen und weitere Informationen zum Skandal um das Madonnenbildnis von 1898 sammeln.

Der Maler Paul Hoecker (1854–1910) war der erste moderne Professor an der Akademie der Bildenden Künste München. Ein Skandal um eines seiner Gemälde zwang ihn 1898 zum Rücktritt von der Professur. Ihm wurde nachgesagt, dass ihm ein Sexarbeiter Modell für ein Madonnenbild (wahrscheinlich „Ave Maria“, Sammlung der Neuen Pinakothek in München) gestanden hatte, zu welchem er auch private Kontakte pflegte. Bereits davor äußerte er sich in einem Brief an den Berliner Sexualwissenschaftler Magnus Hirschfeld über den Paragraphen 175, der gleichgeschlechtliche Liebe seit 1872 kriminalisierte, und zu seiner eigenen Homosexualität:

„Sie widmen Ihre Kräfte einem der humansten Zwecke, und mit Freuden sehe ich, wie viele Männer der einschlägigen Wissenschaften und andere hervorragende und einflussreiche Leute beitragen wollen, daß dieses grausame Gesetz beseitigt werde, allein ich kann Ihnen meine Unterschrift nicht geben, – weil ich selbst konträrsexuell veranlagt bin.“ 

Hoecker starb nach Aufenthalten u.a. in Capri und Rom 1910 an der „Römischen Malaria“ in München. An Paul Hoecker zu erinnern ist jedoch nicht nur aufgrund seiner Biografie wichtig. Sein Œuvre umfasst ein ausgesprochen vielfältiges Motiv- und Themenspektrum, darunter u.a. holländische Alltagsszenen, religiöse Sittenbilder, Landschaften und humoristischen Pierrotbilder. Insbesondere ist jedoch Paul Hoeckers herausragende Rolle für die Münchner Kunst der Jahrhundertwende als Gründungsmitglied der Münchner Secession sowie als Professor an der Kunstakademie hervorzuheben. Mit seinen modernen Lehrmethoden, wie der Freiluftmalerei und der Schulung des individuellen Blickes, sollte Hoecker während seiner nur siebenjährigen Professur die bis dahin konservative Malereiausbildung an der Münchner Akademie revolutionieren. 

Fast alle Mitglieder der 1899 gegründeten Künstlergruppe Die Scholle waren Schüler in Paul Hoeckers Malereiklasse, genau wie ein Großteil der Illustratoren der damals neu gegründeten Zeitschriften Jugend und Simplicissimus. Seit der Nachlassausstellung 1913 verlieren sich die Spuren seines Gesamtwerks.


Ziele der Forschungsgruppe

• Erstellung eines Werk- und Ausstellungsverzeichnisses von Paul Hoecker mit Erschließung des Verbleibs der Arbeiten
• Sammlung weiterer Informationen über seine Aufenthalte in Italien nach seiner Entlassung an der Akademie der Bildenden Künste
• Vorträge zu Werk und Leben von Paul Hoecker mit eingeladenen Kunsthistoriker*innen
• Vorbereitung einer Ausstellung, bei der seine Arbeiten das erste Mal seit 1913 ausführlich gezeigt werden 
• Vorbereitungen für eine Publikation zu Paul Hoecker
• Reintegration des Künstlers in das kulturelle Bewusstsein der Münchner Stadtgeschichte

Wir stehen bereits in Kontakt mit verschiedenen Archiven und Sammlungen. Aktuell gehören der Gruppe Stefan Gruhne, Philipp Gufler und die Kunsthistorikerin Christina Spachtholz an. 2020 ist eine interne Präsentation über den Stand der Forschung am Forum Queeres Archiv München geplant.

Falls du weitere Informationen über Paul Hoecker hast oder dich ebenfalls für das Leben und die Arbeiten des Künstlers interessierst, nimm gerne Kontakt mit uns auf

info@forummuenchen.org

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In October 2019 a research group was formed at the Forum Queeres Archiv München to investigate the life and work of German painter Paul Hoecker (1854–1910). Two things are of particular interest: Hoecker’s homosexuality and the scandal surrounding his Madonna painting from 1898.

The painter Paul Hoecker was the first ‘modern’ Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He introduced his students to art movements beyond the constraints of the academic art world, such as the Barbizon School, Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism etc. However, a scandal surrounding one of his paintings forced him to resign from the Professorship in 1898. Allegedly he used a male sex worker as the model for a depiction of the Madonna (probably “Ave Maria”, collection of the Neue Pinakothek in Munich), with whom he also maintained a private relationship. During that time, the infamous Paragraph 175, which was first instituted in 1872, criminalized homosexual relations. Long before the scandal broke, Hoecker had written to the Berlin-based sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld about Paragraph 175 as well as about his own homosexuality:

"You dedicate your strength to one of the most humane purposes, and I am pleased to see how many men in the relevant sciences and other excellent and influential people want to contribute to the abolition of this cruel law, but I cannot give you my signature alone – because I myself am predisposed to desire my own sex."

In 1910 Hoecker died in Munich after he returned from a prolonged stay in Italy (Capri, Rome etc.) during which he became infected with “Roman malaria”. Regardless of how remarkable and brave Hoecker’s personal journey was, remembering him is not only important because of his biography. His Œuvre encompasses an extremely diverse range of motifs and topics, including Dutch genre paintings, religious moral portraits, landscapes and humorous Pierrot-paintings. In addition, it is also of importance to emphasize Hoecker’s significant role within the Munich art scene at the turn of the century, which he decisively shaped as a founding member of the Munich Secession as well as a Professor at the Art Academy. During his Professorship, which, due to the scandal, only lasted seven years, Hoecker revolutionized the once strictly conservative painting class at the Munich Academy with his modern teaching methods, such as open-air painting and encouraging students to free their artistic gaze from academic dictates. Almost all members of the artist group Die Scholle(founded in 1899) were pupils in Hoecker’s painting class, as were most of the illustrators of the then newly established magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus.


Goals of the research group

• Creating a work directory of Paul Hoecker’s artistic Œuvre as well as researching the whereabouts of his works 
• Gathering more information about his stays in Italy after his dismissal from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich 
• Organizing lectures on the work and life of Paul Hoecker with selected Art Historians 
• Preparing an extensive solo exhibition showcasing Paul Hoecker’s Œuvre in detail for the first time since 1913 
• Preparations for a publication on Paul Hoecker 
• Reintegration of the artist into the cultural awareness of Munich’s history 

We are already in contact with various archives and collections. The group currently includes Stefan Gruhne, Philipp Gufler and art historian Christina Spachtholz. An internal presentation on the state of the research at the Forum Queeres Archiv München is planned for the second half of 2020.

If you have more information about Paul Hoecker or you are also interested in the life and work of the artist, please contact us:

info@forummuenchen.org

Quote: Hirschfeld, Magnus. Von Einst bis Jetzt, 1922, S. 108; 

Abbildung: Paul Hoecker, Ave Maria, um 1898, Öl auf Leinwand, 219 x 236 cm, Neue Pinakothek München

Förderpreise 2018

24.03 - 27.05.2018
Ausstellungseröffnung: Donnerstag, 22.3 um 19 Uhr

Lothringer13_Halle, Lothringerstraße 13, 81667 München
Öffnungszeiten: Di - So 11 - 20 Uhr

Abbildungen: Philipp Gufler, "Quilt #21 (Paul Hoecker)", 2018, Siebdruck auf Stoff, 1,80 x 0,90 m; "Orasol® Gelb 4gn_ Nickeltitangelb", 2018, Siebdruck auf Spiegel, 1,19 x 1,35 m; "Kobaltgrün Blaustichig a _ Krapplack aus Wurzeln", dunkelrot (Tigerauge Tyoujicha), 2018, Siebdruck auf Spiegel, 1,19 x 1,35 m, Foto: Philipp Gufler