Connections~Verbindungen Connections~Verbindungen: Irish German Perspectives through Etching By Gerhardt Gallagher, Gisela Holfter and Mícheál Ó hAodha Connections~Verbindungen: Irish German Perspectives through Etching, by Gerhardt Gallagher, Gisela Holfter and Mícheál Ó hAodha This book first published 2011 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2011 by Gerhardt Gallagher, Gisela Holfter and Mícheál Ó hAodha All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-2636-7, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-2636-5 TABLE OF CONTENTS The Exhibition: “How the Book was Born” .............................................. vii Gerhardt Gallagher and Gisela Holfter Preface...................................................................................................... xiii Some Notes on Gerhardt Gallagher’s Work Mícheál Ó hAodha Irish-German Art Relations ......................................................................... 1 Gisela Holfter Margarethe and Gerhardt........................................................................... 11 A Biographical Note by Gerhardt Gallagher Verbindungen - Connections ..................................................................... 21 Gerhard Gallagher and Gisela Holfter in Conversation Etchings by Margarethe Gerhardt.............................................................. 41 Aquatint Etchings by Gerhardt Gallagher ................................................. 87 Appendix ................................................................................................. 131 Gerhardt Gallagher: Exhibition Details About the Authors ................................................................................... 135 THE EXHIBITION : “H OW THE BOOK WAS BORN ” GERHARDT GALLAGHER AND GISELA HOLFTER When Gerhardt Gallagher’s mother died in 1995 he inherited a number of etchings and paintings which had been done by his grandmother (Oma) Margarethe Gerhardt. He had always been familiar with some of them and they were part of the family furniture in Waterford where he grew up. He had also hung a few of these same unframed prints in his studio. Naturally, the acquisition of these items piqued Gerhardt’s interest further and led him to seek out and learn as much as he could about Margarethe’s artistic career. This research of his was given a further impetus when, in her later years, his mother compiled a family history. Having collated what he knew about Margarethe and the family’s artistic endeavours, it was when these early prints were being re-framed a few years ago – and on the promptings of his wife Miriam – that Gerhardt realised these prints were deserving of far greater public exposure than they had previously been given. During the process of re-framing itself, a large number of art connoisseurs and customers expressed their admiration and interest in the prints. In fact, a good number of the picture framer’s customers were interested in buying Margarethe’s prints, so taken as they were with them. The idea of mounting an exhibition of Margarethe’s works was born at this point and the impetus for such a celebration of her life and artistic career only grew further when it became clear that the vagaries of life and a confluence of world events at the time when her art was at its most productive had prevented her from having adequate opportunity to exhibit her striking depictions of the North German landscape. That her legacy and work deserved much better than this was acknowledged by many and the question now became – how best to exhibit these paintings and prints, many of which were only now being framed for the first time. Quite separately from these developments, the late 1990s had seen Gerhardt himself develop a strong interest in etching, the presence of viii The Exhibition: “How the Book was Born” Margarethe’s works in his studio quite possibly functioning as the initial catalyst and inspiration. Gerhardt mentioned the idea of an exhibition to his brother who also had some of Margarethe’s etchings and the two brothers pooled their resources in order to supplement the prints which were now available for public viewing. At this stage, the idea of combining his grandmother’s etchings with some of his own aquatints also seemed a possibility with much potential. Gerhardt had been working on techniques for the composition and structuring of his own aquatints for a number of years by then and had produced a body of work, a large element of which seemed complimentary if also distinct from that of his grandmother. Whilst differing somewhat in technique each of their respective styles shared some common elements particularly as relating to subject matter, the landscapes and the seascapes, for example; albeit that Gerhardt’s works had a stronger figurative aspect to them. In all, the collection of ‘Oma’s’ works (including an additional etching provided by friend, Pat Grogan) and Gerhardt’s own - amounted to some 40 pieces in total. Having decided on an exhibition the next thing was to find the most appropriate venue. As an Irish/German event, it seemed that the ideal location would be an arts centre which had links with both cultures. The Goethe Institute (where Gerhardt had exhibited previously), the Hunt Museum, and the Centre for Irish-German Studies at the University of Limerick (UL) all initially came to mind. Gerhardt put together a catalogue of images representing both bodies of work and initially approached the Goethe Institute which expressed some interest in the project but indicated that it would have to re-evaluate its own programme to see if the project could be more readily accommodated. Later Gerhardt and Miriam set out for Limerick intending to visit both the Hunt Museum and the Irish- German Centre. As chance would have it their journey first took them past the University of Limerick where Miriam suggested that they call before driving further into the city (Gerhardt had not made any appointment there as this was to be an initial approach). He turned the car into UL enquired how he might make contact and knocked on Gisela Holfter’s door; she was in, kindly listened to his proposal and examined the brochure; to Gerhardt’s great delight the project took off. Gisela immediately liked the pictures he showed and was very interested in the family connections. In her opinion this was a “living” form of “Irish-German Studies” and a project which ought to have strong support within the Centre for Irish-German Studies. She approached UL photographer Eoin Stephenson and graphic designer Dave Lilburn, the latter an artist in his own right. Both of them found the idea interesting and Connections~Verbindungen: Irish German Perspectives through Etching ix venues were discussed. In the end they settled on the ground floor of the Glucksman Library as the best location given that this was an area which had been used previously for other exhibitions organised by the Centre for Irish-German Studies; it was a pleasant and comfortable area which had appropriate lighting and was ideal for any wine reception, book launch or exhibition opening. Further meetings of Gisela and Gerhardt sorted out the practicalities such as times, dates, how much of the space needed to be used, how many pictures ought to be exhibited and the organising of introductions with both Eoin and Dave. Gerhardt designed the invitations and the exhibition catalogue while Gisela wrote the introduction and organized the wine reception. When it came closer to the big opening Eoin Stephenson was a great support on how best to hang Gerhardt’s various exhibits while Dave Lilburn opened the exhibition with a particularly insightful introduction. The numerous attendees, who came from all over Ireland, were (appropriately!) impressed and complimentary about the entire event. The exhibition also caught the interest of Dr Mícheál Ó hAodha who works in both the UL History department and the library and who thought the entire undertaking very worthy of publication and the production of a co-authored book – thereby ensuring a permanent and ongoing memento of a history as incorporating cultural exchange, creative endeavour and the artistic relationships as fostered between different generations and countries. The final task which remained to be undertaken in this - the pre-publication stage - was the photographing of the various exhibits, a task which Eoin Stephenson undertook using his customary excellence and skill. The exhibition, “Connections-Verbindungen” took place in October 2008. x The Exhibition: “How the Book was Born” Gerhardt with Daughters Mia and Etain Gisela and Gerhardt with Exhibition Group – from left to right: Mia Gallagher, Phyl Herbert, Gisela Holfter, Ann Gallagher, Gerhardt Gallagher, Mary Sheridan, Martin Sheridan, Etain Gallagher Connections~Verbindungen: Irish German Perspectives through Etching xi The Artist and Works The Gallagher and Grogan Brothers xii The Exhibition: “How the Book was Born” Joachim Fischer, David Lilburn and Gerhardt Gallagher PREFACE SOME NOTES ON GERHARDT GALLAGHER’S WORK MÍCHEÁL Ó H AODHA One day I was helping a student locate a rarely-consulted volume in the library store when I noticed