#cologne progressives

Franz Wilhelm Seiwert, Der Architekt II, 1931, Bonn, LVR-Landesmuseum. Photo from December 2025.

Gerd Arntz, Wohnhaus, 1927

Heinrich Hoerle, Denkmal der unbekannten Prothesen, 1930, Wuppertal, Von der Heydt Museum. Photo taken in December 2025 in the exhibition „Schöne neue Arbeitswelt“ at LVR-Landesmuseum Bonn.

Gerd Arntz, Der Maschinist, 1931, Hagen, Osthaus Museum. Photo from April 2026.

Franz Wilhelm Seiwert, Fabrikarbeiter, 1924, Berlin, Galerie Berinson. Photo taken in December 2025 in the exhibition „Schöne neue Arbeitswelt“ at LVR-Landesmuseum Bonn.

Franz Wilhelm Seiwert, Mann mit Maschinen (Fabrikarbeiter), 1924, oil on cardboard, 67.7 x 95.5 cm. Sold by Lempertz in November 2014.

Heinrich Hoerle, Fabrikarbeiterin, c. 1925, mixed media on wove paper, 40 x 36 cm. Sold by Van Ham in December 2010.

One of the most interesting artist groups of the Weimar Republic were the „Kölner Progressive“, the Cologne Progressives, circling around painters Heinrich Hoerle (1895-1936) and Franz Wilhelm Seiwert (1894-1933). The latter two not only were friends but also shared the conviction that art could be used to agitate and inform workers about social and societal shortcomings (both were staunch communists). I recently stumbled across a series of biographical writings issued by the city of Cologne dedicated to key personalities of the city’s history and, surprisingly, one volume from 1975 is a double biography of Hoerle and Seiwert. In it Walter Vitt on a mere 44 pages draws a lively picture of the social and artistic environment in which Hoerle, Seiwert and the Cologne Progressives flourished, highlights key works of both artists and in an impressive catalogue of notes manages to provide even more information and cross-references. So, despite its age and research on the group and the artists involved having advanced substantially the present little booklet nonetheless is an unexpectedly complete read warmly recommended to anyone new to either the artists or the artists’ group.