LIBERTY GIROVAGANDO:IL BELLO DELL'EUROPA di Barbara Magni

On the hill of Darmstadt there is "The Artists Colony Mathildenhoehe" with the Exhibition Hall, the Wedding Tower, the Artists' Colony Museum and the artists' houses from the time of Art Nouveau. In 1899, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig invited seven young Art Nouveau artists to the Mathildenhoehe – the birth of the Darmstadt Kuenstlerkolonie or Colony of Artists. It existed until 1914 . So, the Darmstadt artists’ colony was founded at the behest of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and Rhine. A young architect, Joseph Maria Olbrich, was given the overall responsibility for planning the location. The team sought to create a new form as a “milestone on the way to a renewal of life,” “which is not in the current fashion but points the way forward by incorporating futuristic elements” (J.M.Olbrich). Mathildenhöhe was a testimony to the life reform movement of that period and received international recognition. In May 1901, the first IBA, entitled “A Document of German Art” was opened when the colony was completed (there were four exhibitions: 1901,1904,1908,1914) The comprehensive and holistic approach is what made this building exhibition special. The urban layout, studio and residential buildings, exhibition buildings, interior design including everyday products – everything was planned together. In collaboration, architects, painters, sculptors and designers of applied art reshaped the landscape with regional and national companies. The place form one of the most important collections of Art Nouveau in Germany and in Europe and again inspires us to reflect on the relationship of arts and society.