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Marli Hoppe-Ritter, founder of the MUSEUM RITTER and collector in conversation
with Prof. Kurt Weidemann
Kurt Weidemann:
I would like to begin with a statement once made by a famous artist of the last century, Marcel Duchamp. I am sure that if you had met him he would have said that: in his view, the true collector is also an artist, squared, because he chooses the pictures and hangs them on the wall. The first dimension is collecting and the second is preparing the collection to be looked at. What do think of Duchamp’s statement?
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
It’s a very nice quotation, especially since the word square comes up in it. But I do not of course regard myself as an artist. Although the collector does have creative opportunities for building up a collection according to his or her own ideas, as well as in the development of concepts for exhibitions. As such the scope for creativity is large. There has always been a certain triad in the art world: artist–gallerist–collector. If you add the art historian to this, we would arrive at the “square” that Duchamp talked of.
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Kurt Weidemann:
How does a chocolate manufacturer become an art collector?
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
The two have a lot in common. As an entrepreneur I have to think of the future, and the same is true of art collecting. On top of which, in my case there is a very obvious point of contact between the two fields, the square. On the one hand it is the RITTER SPORT trademark, on the other the square has become nothing short of a paradigm in 20th and 21st century Abstract Geometrical Art. It was first made famous by the Russian Constructivist Kasimir Malevich at the beginning of the 20th century, and to this day this ideal geometrical shape continues to fascinate artists. The sheer diversity of concepts relating to the square in both painting and sculpture prompted me to pursue this theme in a dedicated collection.
Kurt Weidemann:
Doesn’t the commitment to one particular theme mean that you have to narrow yourself down?
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
Yes, you have to narrow yourself down a lot when you take up the theme of “the square in art”. But concentrating like this opens up the possibility of building up a collection that can go a lot further into the depths. Collecting on a particular theme is like a jigsaw. You want to fill the gaps and document the topic as fully as possible. Some day or other the originally planned jigsaw is more or less complete. Which poses the problem of finding new ways to build up and extend the collection. So it is also important to broaden the collection, above all in the direction of current contemporary art – which proves to be highly fruitful because the square is a motif with unexpected potential. For me as a collector this narrowing down has turned out to be a really good thing and a great opportunity.
Kurt Weidemann:
At first I was taken aback by your restriction to the square. The square, of all things, as a symbol of order, consistency and resoluteness. But precisely this restriction has turned out to be a brilliant philosophical idea. Pinning the collection down to one format or rather one subject is less restricting than all the many –isms that exist in art.
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
I needed a little over fifteen years to build up the collection to what it is now, because it was fairly late when I began to collect art on the subject of the square. Although I had bought modern art prior to that, I wasn’t thinking of a specific theme or a collection. The idea first came in 1986 when I visited an exhibition at the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum in Ludwigshafen. It was entitled “Von zwei Quadraten” [About Two Squares] and was specially dedicated to Russian Suprematism. That’s when I began to study the subject of the square in art and with that I discovered that the topic can be incredibly varied and extremely exciting. In the words of Hans Peter Reuter, the square is “the most beautiful shape for the imagination”. It is a perfect form, a quasi neutral form.
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Kurt Weidemann:
What prompted you to open your collection to the general public?
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
I always think that a large art collection should be open to the public, only then does it come alive. Art needs exchanges in opinions, an outside perspective on it. Art is a cultural asset that should be accessible to all. As such I see MUSEUM RITTER as a forward looking investment for the general public.
Kurt Weidemann:
Your collection contains an impressive number of the greats of 20th century art who are scarcely affordable these days. How willing are you to risk investing in names that promise a great future? Can we already see this in your collection?
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
I am not ready to spend enormous amounts on art. Everything must be in proportion. It is important on the long term that the museum continues to exist and that the running of the museum is assured. I’m more willing to take risks with younger artists who have yet to establish themselves. There is a particular delight in seeing how a young artist develops. I know many artists personally. And that is one of the exciting things about collecting, particularly contemporary art. One can follow an artistic career and accompany to some extent an artist’s journey through life. That is fascinating.
Kurt Weidemann:
Have you already made any decisions in fact about the future of the collection?
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
One cannot foresee how Abstract Geometrical Art will develop. But I shall continue to pursue it with a passion and am curious to see all the things that will come into being and what new ideas the artists in this area will come up in the future. I want to concentrate even more on documenting the cross-references and connections between the various artistic approaches and the various generations of artists.
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Kurt Weidemann:
What goals and objectives have you set for the exhibition programme at MUSEUM RITTER?
Marli Hoppe-Ritter:
The purpose of the museum is first of all to exhibit the collection and bring it to the attention of a broader section of the public. We put on three to four exhibitions each year which, unlike the collection, do not totally have to be restricted to the square. The aim is to show historical developments in the field of Concrete Constructive Art as well as connections with today’s younger generation of artists. Over and beyond this, broad overviews of the work of particular artists in the collection are given in solo exhibitions. Then of course we also inform our audience about the new developments in the collection in our yearly presentations. And each exhibition project is accompanied by its own catalogue, which is a valuable source of documentation for both the visitors as well as for the participating artists.
Questions by Prof. Kurt Weidemann |
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