Drawings and Paintings by Students

In March 2001, the BDK handed the collection of student sketches and a comprehensive body of records to the BBF, thus not only securing the collection and assuring accessibility of a so far largely neglected source for educational historical research. The images are often aesthetically sophisticated and they can be investigated from an art historical, developmental psychological and social historical as well as didactic perspective.

Students' Drawings and Paintings

The basic stock consists of exhibits from "Kind und Kunst – Zur Geschichte des Zeichen- und Kunstunterrichtes", an exhibition on the history of teaching drawing/painting and art to children. The presentation of selected children’s sketches focuses on the development of art instruction at school between 1872 and the 1970s. The exhibition was organized in 1976 by Diethart Kerbs (1937–2013) and a group of students from the former Pedagogical University (Pädagogische Hochschule) Berlin, commissioned by the BDK. It was shown in twenty cities over a period of three years. Because the exhibition was highly popular, the BDK received many additional drawings and paintings from students, which were added to the original collection. Since receiving this treasure, the BBF is continously increased the stock from other sources and aims at expanding the collection by adding items, recording meticulously their provenance.

The collection of student sketches from the BDK amounts to more than 14,000 sheets. The different types of images (water colours, linocuts, etchings etc.) offer an insight into the change of art instruction in general, and in particular into the diversity of techniques and materials used, and topics focused.

The students’ works have not been indexed yet, but they can be inspected. Please contact the BBF archive.

Following an increasing demand, the archive intends to digitize and index the stock to allow for improved accessibility of the sources to researchers.

Records of Bund Deutscher Kunsterzieher e.V.

Besides comprehensive documents concerning the organization of the exhibition ”Kind und Kunst”, the records contain correspondence from leading figures in  teaching art, e.g. Gustav Kolb (1867–1943), Leo Weismantel (1888–1964), Diethart Kerbs (1937–2013), Erich Parnitzke (1893–1974), Erna Dreiack (1900–????), Ernst Röttger (1869–1967), Walter Kornmann (????–????) and Egon Kornmann (1887–1982?). Moreover, the records consist of documents from the International Society for Education Through Art (InSEA) – founded in 1951 – and letters from BDK representatives and regional associations.

So far, the records have only been cursorily indexed, therefore their usage is limited, subject to prior request – please contact the BBF archive.