The Venuswagen-Trial

Invitation card from Wolfgang Gurlitt for a dinner party on the occasion of the Venus Carriage trial.
Source: Private Archive. © Alexandra Cedrino

Mr and Mrs Wolfgang Gurlitt cordially invite you, in the name of Lady Venus, who is being pursued by the public prosecutor's office and its henchmen, to a private dinner on Thursday 10 November at 8.30 p.m., Potsdamer Straße 113, Villa II.

R.S.V.P.

Only four days after "the debris of the golden, airy and amusing Venuswagen covered the Turmstrasse"(1) and Wolfgang was fined 1,000 Reichsmark, he invited friends and artists to a joint dinner. Perhaps he laughed at the prudishness of the public prosecutor's office and its 'henchmen', for as much as the fine pained him - money was always tight with him - this trial also gave him the opportunity to present himself as a progressive, liberal and libertarian lover of art.

Der Venuswagen (The Venus Carriage), a series of books published by the prestigious Fritz Gurlitt publishing house in Berlin, was a daring venture initiated by Wolfgang between 1919 and 1920. The carefully curated collection of private erotic prints, edited by Alfred Richard Meyer, comprised a total of nine volumes and was distinguished by its exquisite design with original graphics. Wolfgang played a major role in the development and publication of these works, underlining his commitment to artistic freedom, cultural diversity and his interest in erotic art.

His publishing programme, which he designed and oversaw with his production manager Paul Eipper(2) from 1920 to 1924, was ambitious from the outset. It included a wide range of art books, individual prints, portfolios, annuals, illustrated books and artists' books in various formats and designs. These works were characterized by precious bindings and signed original graphics on high-quality Japanese or handmade paper. Alongside these luxurious editions, more affordable versions were published with unsigned prints and more modest designs.

However, his dedication was not always appreciated, especially when it came to the illustrations in some of his books. On 6 November 1920, Paul Eipper exclaimed: "Artistic freedom in the socialist state! The Public Prosecutor's Office II, the department for indecency in words and pictures, has caught up with us. First of all Corinth, Der Venuswagen (after Schiller's poem) and Die Königin von Gonolkonde (after Bürger)"(3). Even in his own family, Wolfgang's publications met with incomprehension. Even before the seizure in November, his cousin Hildebrand ranted in a letter dated 27 August 1920: "Especially as his publishing house publishes almost nothing but filth, at least that's how it seems to me. Just take a look at his almanac and you will be disgusted"(4).

Wolfgang's cousin was not alone in this opinion. The judiciary felt the same way. Some of the books published by the Gurlitt Verlag were, according to the Reichsgericht, a danger to "the sense of shame and decency of the normal person in sexual matters".

And so, in 1921, a trial was held behind closed doors, so as not to offend the sensitive national sense of morality. In the long, cold corridors of the Criminal Court on Turmstrasse, the 'excluded public' - consisting of Wolfgang and his business partner Lilly Agoston(5) - stood outside the courtroom door with their lips frozen blue, while inside the battle for artistic freedom was being waged, which, despite all efforts, was once again defeated. After the verdict, an indignant article appeared in the magazine Der Querschnitt: "The verdict in the case against Gurlitt's Venus Wagen will be greeted with astonishment in many circles," it continued, rubbing its eyes in disbelief. "Corinth seized as indecent (!). Janthur, Jaeckel, Schoff, Christophe, Geiger, Zille seized as indecent! Has it come to this that some of our best artists, with the master Corinth at the head, have sunk to the level of pornographers?" asked the astonished author Bernhard Kellermann. "The publication consisted for the most part of cultural-historical curiosities of an erotic nature," he described the book that had been criticised, "illustrated very discreetly, often quite tamely, by masterly hands. The prints were distributed in about 700 copies to collectors and enthusiasts, and were therefore in no way suitable for reaching the general public and endangering public morals," the author explained to the readers, before taking a critical look at the luminary called in by the public prosecutor's office, the ultra-conservative Professor Dr. Karl Brunner, who had earned himself a thunderous reputation with the trial of Schnitzler's Reigen the previous year.

"In vain did the experts try to shake the opinion of the all-powerful Professor Brunner, who himself considers the most delicate representation of a lady's seat to be indecent!" Kellermann sniped. "In vain did the defence lawyer try to show in a masterly, overwhelming presentation, citing judgments of the Reich Court, that legally binding decisions had long since been made on these matters," he said, describing the brave but ultimately unsuccessful defence.

The outcome of the trial, in which Wolfgang was fined 1000 marks, left a bitter aftertaste. Already in 1922, the next trial was looming, this time with his own family as plaintiffs. But that's another story.

(1) Kellermann, Bernhard. In: Der Querschnitt, (1921), pp. 229 - 231

(2) Paul Eipper (* 10 July 1891 in Stuttgart; † 22 July 1964 in Lochham) was a German writer and close collaborator of Wolfgang Gurlitt.

(3) Eipper, Paul; Studio conversations with Liebermann and Corinth. Volume 438. 3rd edition. Munich: Piper series, 1985, p. 79

(4) Cornelius Gurlitt Archive, TU Dresden, letter dated 27 August 1920 from Hildebrand to Willibald Gurlitt

(5) Lilly Agoston-Christiansen (1894 - 1951) was a Hungarian Jew and business partner of Wolfgang Gurlitt. She was involved in his publishing house and art dealership. In order to protect her from persecution by the National Socialists, she was pro forma married to a young Dane named Christiansen, which gave her the appearance of a non-Jewish identity.