No exhibition for many years! The estate can now be rediscovered!

Fritz Geerken is said to have produced over 4,000 works over the course of his life. During his lifetime he had a number of exhibitions in the region and throughout Germany.
Contacts and stories about the Worpswede artists' colony and the artists of his time underline his solid place as a second-generation Worpswede artist.
In the last 20 years the estate has become quiet, meaning that some things could have been forgotten. But now the floods have given the impetus to bring things back to light. We are very pleased!

A master of etching

Only a small selection of Fritz Geerken's life's work can be shown here, and these are mainly etchings.

Fritz Geerken, who grew up on a farm in Niederblockland on the Kleine Wümme, knew how to represent his homeland, the northern German landscape, objectively and naturally in warm and rich, especially blue and brown, tones.

He conquered the world by drawing. Even as a child, drawing and painting were his favorite pastimes. He never left without a sketchpad so that he could capture the beauties of nature in small and large formats with pen or chalk.

The artist particularly dedicated himself to the art of etching using a variety of techniques. He printed the etchings himself on his press, many in color and with several plates. In his etchings and oil paintings, he used his artistic imagination to revive what had happened, filled with his feelings.

Watercolors were his spontaneous visual experiences that he wrote in the wild.

All works are images of visible reality. The reverence for the diverse phenomena of creation resonates in them. Fritz Geerken translated his experiences into pictures in an exhilarating way, which the viewer also feels directly.

After graduating from high school in 1933, Geerken studied art history, education, philosophy and psychology in Hamburg. In addition to his responsibilities as a teacher, he always worked as a draftsman, painter and etcher. “The two professions enrich each other,” he once said.

On numerous study trips to the Scandinavian countries, where he was particularly fond of the Norwegian fjords, as well as to Greece, France, Spain and Yugoslavia, Fritz Geerken expanded his knowledge, his skills and his eye for the landscapes, their people and their peculiarities.

Numerous exhibitions, including Berlin and Braunschweig. Osnabrück, Svendborg Denmark, Bremen and Worpswede and Lilienthal brought the artist recognition and laudatory reviews. His pictures found many lovers. Some works were also purchased by the Bremen state. Geerken had been a member of the Bremen Artists' Association since 1948, including being on the board for several years.

Fritz Geerken's artistic existence has been fulfilled. He died on December 29, 1991. His spirit lives on in his works. They will be preserved for posterity.

Through the flood to the surface

The catastrophic floods in December and January hit the community of Lilienthal and the Borgfeld district particularly hard.
When the Geerken family's house was flooded, Fritz Geerken's estate was also affected and had to be rescued from the basement from the floods. NDR Kultur reported

NDR Kultur also reported a little later about our offer of help and the possible implementation of this exhibition.

We are happy that it worked and that something good could come out of a terrible natural disaster!

Vernissage on March 17, 2024 - from 2:00 p.m

We invite you to the exhibition opening! Friends, acquaintances and anyone interested in art are welcome! Fritz Geerken's large family and descendants will be present. The exhibition opening will be accompanied by a musical supporting program.