Jan Bontjes van Beek (1899–1969) lived a life intertwined with 20th-century German history. His
ceramics marked by materiality and color dynamism reflected his search for balance amid
turbulent times. Text in English and German. The moving life of Jan Bontjes van Beek
(1899–1969) is closely associated with 20th-century German history. A “strikingly blond sailor
who could dance and play the violin ” he joined the Worpswede artist’s colony in 1919 and later
found a home with the Breling family in Fischerhude who introduced him to ceramics. With the
support of his second wife the architect Rahel Weißbach he moved to Berlin in 1933 where his
studio became a well-known meeting place for artists. Despite having been arrested by the
National Socialists and his daughter Cato executed he could not endure the GDR’s Socialist
Unity Party regime either and stepped down from a teaching post at the East Berlin Weißensee
art school in 1950. He broke into teaching in West Berlin and finally in Hamburg and
continued his ceramic work which provided the free thinker with a firm footing. Like no other
he emphasized materiality in form and dynamism in color. During tumultuous times he sought out
the perfect balance for his vessels and ultimately for himself. Text in English and German.
