Since the paintings “The Taste”, “The Hearing” and “The Sight”, which Ferdinand Wagner produced for the Villa Seligmann in 1906, have been back in their place, the person of Siegmund Seligmann as a patron of the arts has increasingly come to the fore. However, as the original lavish decor with wall and easel paintings and other works of art no longer exists, visitors will need their imagination to picture the villa’s interiors in all their splendor.
This gave rise to the idea of filling the villa with works of art again and thus presenting Siegmund Seligmann as the host of an art exhibition.
A real meeting between Siegmund Seligmann and Jakov Rubinstein would not have been possible: When Seligmann died in Hanover in 1925 at the age of 72, Rubinstein was a 23-year-old student in Petrograd. What the two have in common, however, is their creative spirit and their eagerness to break new ground.
The collection
Seligmann’s “guest” Jakov Rubinstein (1901 – 1983) came from a wealthy business family and studied economics. He founded his collection in the 1950s. Over the course of 25 years, he managed to build up a unique collection: It included works by those important artists of the first half of the 20th century who were forgotten or not officially recognized in the USSR. Jakov Rubinstein’s collection was dispersed after his death, and only a part of it exists in the form of a complete collection. However, this part also gives an idea of the character and quality of the original collection. The exhibition shows around 90 paintings, watercolors and drawings. Jakov Rubinstein’s life’s work will be continued by his granddaughter Tanya Rubinstein-Horowitz (Düsseldorf). She makes acquisitions in the spirit of her grandfather and regularly presents the collection to the general public.
The curator of the collection, Olga Sugrobova-Roth, will guide visitors through the exhibition in Russian (2 p.m.) and German (5 p.m.). Admission to the guided tour 8 euros.
Please note that we will be taking photos and videos during this event. The image material is used for our website and/or social media channels and for press relations. By participating, visitors to this event agree to this.
