Encouraged to write.
Hans Purrmann and the art historian couple Barbara and Erhard Göpel
: Correspondence, 1954–1966
Edited by: Felix Billeter, Maria Leitmeyer
June 2026
The correspondence between the painter Hans Purrmann and the art historian couple Barbara and Erhard Göpel offers new perspectives on the art world and society of postwar Germany. The 280 previously unpublished letters also recount the story behind the book *The Life and Opinions of the Painter Hans Purrmann*, which was published by the couple in 1961. The correspondence provides valuable new insights into artistic and art-political issues of that time. Last but not least, it provides material for reevaluating Erhard Göpel’s engagement with contemporary art after 1950 in light of his involvement in the Nazis’ art theft.
- First Publication of the Correspondence
- Art, Politics, and Society in Postwar Germany
- Max Beckmann and Germany