Full Name: Matthaeis, Adelbert
Gender: male
Date Born: 1859
Date Died: 1924
Home Country/ies: Germany
Overview
First director of the Kunsthistorisches Institut, Christian-Albrecht-Universität, Kiel. Matthaeis’ early interests were the gothic Cistercian architecture of France and Germany, which was the subject of his 1892 Habilitationsschrift. He studied the medieval wood sculpture of Schleswig-Holstein. As director of the Thaulow collection, he had attempted to create an independent “Provincial museum of medieval church art,” but this failed. Matthaei taught courses in 1896 on Hans Brueggemann and his attributed works. Matthaei researched in 1897/98 on the medieval carving altars Schleswig Holstein. Matthaeis lectured on a diverse range of subjects, including the history of the Italian painting from Giotto to Raffael, Rembrandt, and the history of the German art, and romantic art (in particular Moritz). Matthaei was an engaging lecturer, who hosted public talks on topics such as “introduction to the history of art,” in 1901. From 1902 onward, Matthaei excavated the church at Segeberg. In 1894, at the death of the classical philologist P.W. Forchhammers, the art history as a discipline was finally separated from Philology. The Institute was initially a projector for slides housed in a college building in the palace garden. Gradually books and art reproductions were added. In 1904 Carl Neumann began assumed Mattaeis’ duties.
Selected Bibliography
[habilitation:] Zur Kenntnis der mittelalterlichen Schnitzaltäre Schleswig-Holsteins, Leipzig 1898 published as Werke der Holzplastik in Schleswig-Holstein bis zum Jahre 1530. Leipzig 1901.
Sources
Albrecht, Uwe. “Adalbert [sic] Matthaei (1859-1924): Vom Provisorium zum Institut.” Kunstgeschichte in Kiel 100 Jahre Kunsthistorisches Institut der Christian-Albrechts-Universität. http://www.uni-kiel.de/kunstgeschichte/festschrift/matthaei.htm;