University of Fine Arts of Hamburg


The Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg is the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. It dates to 1767, when it was called the Hamburger Gewerbeschule; later it became known as Landeskunstschule Hamburg. The main building, located in the Uhlenhorst quarter of Hamburg-Nord borough, was designed by architect Fritz Schumacher, and built between 1911 and 1913. In 1970, it was accredited as an artistic-scientific university.

History

The Hamburger Gewerbeschule was founded in 1767 by the Patriotische Gesellschaft. It was named the Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule in 1896, later the Landeskunstschule. Fritz Schumacher designed the main building especially for the art school. Located at Am Lerchenfeld 2 in Uhlenhorst, a quarter of Hamburg-Nord, it was built between 1911 and 1913. After World War II, it re-opened as the Landeskunstschule by Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann, who had previously been a professor at the Kölner Werkschulen. He was succeeded by architect Gustav Hassenpflug, who changed the institution to the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg. The school was accredited as a university in 1970.

Introduction of tuition sparks protest

In July 2007, a scandal occurred when the university administration under Martin Köttering came under political pressure to expel students for having protested newly introduced tuition fees. Joerg Draeger and the Hamburg Senate, dominated by the Christian Democratic Union demanded expulsion of more than half of the art students for having taken part in a tuition boycott. The scandal gained nationwide press coverage. In June 2008, about 680 students were enrolled at HFBK Hamburg.

''Stolpersteine''

Two stolpersteine - memorials to victims of Nazism - have been laid for two faculty members. Friedrich Adler, who taught at the Kunstgewerbeschule from 1907 until his forced retirement in 1933, was killed in Auschwitz in 1942. Hugo Meier-Thur, who taught from 1910 to 1943, was killed at Fuhlsbüttel concentration camp in 1943.

Notable faculty members