The house and its collection

As the first artists started to settle in Worpswede prior to 1900, art lovers soon developed an interest in acquiring the pictures of the artist who had been so honoured and distinguished in Munich in 1895. In addition to selling pictures, the Netzel family soon began to assemble a basic collection of works from the hand of the founding generation.

The collection features paintings and graphics by Fritz Mackensen (1866-1953), Otto Modersohn (1865-1943), Hans am Ende (1864-1918), Fritz Overbeck (1869-1909) and Heinrich Vogeler (1872-1942), as well as some rare works from the old Roselius collection and Vogeler's graphics. Paintings and etchings by Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907) as well as an extensive collection of the works of her contemporary Ottilie Reylaender (1882-1965) on permanent loan are a particularly prominent feature of the collection. In addition to large-scale works, the collectors also sought out smaller works, usually executed in oil on artist's board, as an example of “genuine plein air painting”.

The collection also contains numerous exemplary works from the second generation of Worpswede artists, such as Georg Tappert (1880-1957), Albert Schiestl-Arding (1883-1937), Udo Peters (1884-1964), Alfred Kollmar (1886-1937), Willy Dammasch (1887-1982), Tetjus Tügel (1892-1973), Bram van Velde (1895-1982), Walter Müller (1901-1975), Sophie Bötjer-Mallet (1887-1966) and Lisel Oppel (1897-1960). Maria Netzel in particular had a warm relationship with the surrealist Richard Oelze (1900-1980), who at the time was still unacknowledged locally but who today, along with Paula Modersohn-Becker, is the most internationally renowned painter and illustrator from Worpswede. She is responsible for creating extensive collection containing a dozen works of the artist's works. This collection attracts many art connoisseurs, in particular those from abroad.

Exemplary works of post-war painting from Worpswede are also well-represented in the collection, such as Helmut Heinken (1920-1968), Willy Meyer-Osburg (1934) and Dieter Wallert (1935-1989), some of whom were members of the “Junge Gruppe Worpswede”. Later artists such as Friedrich Meckseper (1936), Uwe Hässler (1938), Pit Morell (1939) and Frauke Migge (1941) are also represented, as are the many works of the ceramic artists Otto Meier (1904-1996) and Heide Weichberger (1922-1980). The works in the collection are unsaleable and are shown in their own building as well as at special exhibitions in other Worpswede museums. The works can be loaned to other museum by arrangement made well in advance.