# University of Fine Arts of Hamburg

The Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK Hamburg) is the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg. It dates to 1767, when it was called the Hamburger Gewerbeschule; later it became known as Landeskunstschule Hamburg. The main building, located in the Uhlenhorst quarter of Hamburg-Nord borough, was designed by architect Fritz Schumacher, and built between 1911 and 1913. In 1970, it was accredited as an artistic-scientific university.

## History

The Hamburger Gewerbeschule (Hamburg Vocational School) was founded in 1767 by the Patriotische Gesellschaft (Patriotic Society). It was named the Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Arts and Crafts or School of Applied Arts) in 1896, later the Landeskunstschule Hamburg (State School of Art).
Fritz Schumacher designed the main building especially for the art school. Located at Am Lerchenfeld 2 in Uhlenhorst, a quarter of Hamburg-Nord, it was built between 1911 and 1913. After World War II, it re-opened as the Landeskunstschule by Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann, who had previously been a professor at the Kölner Werkschulen (Cologne Academy of Fine Arts). He was succeeded by architect Gustav Hassenpflug, who changed the institution to the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg. The school was accredited as a university in 1970.

### Protests (2007)

In July 2007, a scandal occurred when the university administration under Martin Köttering came under political pressure to expel students for having protested newly introduced tuition fees. Joerg Draeger and the Hamburg Senate, dominated by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) demanded expulsion of more than half of the art students for having taken part in a tuition boycott. The scandal gained nationwide press coverage. In June 2008, about 680 students were enrolled at HFBK Hamburg.

### Memorials

Two stolpersteine – memorials to victims of Nazism – were laid for two faculty members in 2009 by then president of HFBK Peter Hess and members of the Hamburg-Walddörfer Lions Club. The stolpersteine were laid for Friedrich Adler, who taught at the Kunstgewerbeschule from 1907 until his forced retirement in 1933, who was killed in Auschwitz in 1942, and Hugo Meier-Thur, who taught from 1910 to 1943, was killed at Fuhlsbüttel concentration camp in 1943.

## Study programs

The University of Fine Arts of Hamburg (HFBK) offers interdisciplinary study programs in fine arts, enabling students to explore a range of artistic and scientific subjects.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)
The B.F.A. program at HFBK is designed to be interdisciplinary, encompassing various artistic and scientific subjects across different departments. Students have the flexibility to attend classes in multiple departments or focus on a single one, allowing them to tailor their studies according to their individual interests. The departments available for study include:
* Design
* Graphic Art/Photography
* Film
* Painting/Drawing
* Sculpture
* Stage Design
* Theory and History
* Time-based Media
This open structure ensures maximum flexibility, enabling students to determine the content of their art and/or science studies themselves.
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
The M.F.A. program builds upon the interdisciplinary approach of the bachelor's degree, allowing students to deepen their artistic and theoretical development. Similar to the B.F.A., students can choose to focus on one or combine multiple disciplines, fostering a personalized and in-depth exploration of their chosen fields.
Doctorate (Dr. phil. in art)
HFBK also offers a doctoral program leading to a Dr. phil. in art. This program supervises dissertations that engage with art-theoretical or philosophical concepts related to the analysis of the arts, addressing their essential nature. Candidates can undertake research based on practice accompanied by a written element or opt for research by written thesis only.
Through these programs, HFBK provides a comprehensive and flexible educational environment for students pursuing various aspects of fine arts.

## Notable alumni

This list includes alumni from University of Fine Arts of Hamburg, listed by last name alphabetical order.
* Theo Akkermann (1907–1982) sculptor, was a student from 1926 to 1929
* Fatih Akin (born 1973), film director, screenwriter and producer, student from 1994 to 2000
* Uwe Bahnsen (1930–2013), German car designer
* Esther Berlin-Joel (1895–1972) Israeli designer
* Hans Breder (1935–2017), interdisciplinary artist and professor, student from 1961 to 1964
* Woldemar Brinkmann (1890–1959), architect and interior designer
* Bruno Bruni (born 1935), Italian lithographer, graphic artist, painter and sculptor, student from 1960 to 1965
* Bernhard Cella (born 1969), Austrian artist and curator
* Bastian Clevé (born 1950), filmmaker, student from 1971 to 1976
* Hanne Darboven (1941–2009), conceptual artist, was a student from 1962 to 1965
* Isa Genzken (born 1948), student from 1969 to 1977
* Oliver Hirschbiegel (born 1957), film director
* Rebecca Horn (born 1944), interdisciplinary artist, was a student from 1963/1964–1970
* Alfonso Hüppi (born 1935), Swiss painter, was a student, guest professor
* Hermine Huntgeburth (born 1957), film director
* Francesco Mariotti (born 1935), student from 1965 to 1969
* Horst Janssen (born 1929–1995), draftsman, printmaker, poster artist and illustrator, was a student from 1946 to 1951
* Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997), sculptor, student from 1972 to 1976
* Wolfgang Lauenstein (born 1962), film director
* Jonathan Meese (born 1970), painter, sculptor, performance artist and installation artist, student from 1993 to 1998
* Holger Meins (1941–1974), former Red Army Faction (RAF), student from 1962 to 1966
* Herbert Niebling (1903–1966), lace knit designer, student in the 1930s
* Albert Oehlen (born 1954), contemporary artist, student in the 1980s
* Hans Jürgen Press (1926–2002), illustrator and children's book author
* Astrid Proll (born 1946), early member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), and photo editor
* Daniel Richter (born 1962), painter
* Nicolaus Schmidt (born 1953), photographer and historian
* Santiago Sierra (born in 1966), performance and installation art, student 1989–1991
* Cornelia Sollfrank (born 1960), digital artist and early pioneer of internet art and Cyberfeminism, student from 1990 to 1994
* Annegret Soltau (born 1946), mixed media collage art, student from 1967 to 1972
* Otto Waalkes (born 1948), comedian, actor, and musician, a student in the 1970s
* Paul Wallat (1879–1964), landscape artist, draftsman and sculptor, student 1899–1902
* Ignatz Wiemeler (1895–1952) bookbinder
* Vicco von Bülow (1923–2011), student from 1947 to 1949
* Yüksel Yavuz (born 1964) film director

## Notable academic staff

This list includes present and past academic staff, listed by last name alphabetical order.
* Friedrich Adler (1878–1942), design, metalwork
* Joseph Beuys, guest professor in 1974
* Max Bill (1908–1994), professor from 1967 to 1974
* Bazon Brock, professor 1965–1976
* Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, photography
* Bernhard Blume, professor 1987–2011
* Angela Bulloch, sculpture
* John Burgan, guest professor 2002
* Carl Otto Czeschka, professor 1907–1943
* Simon Denny, time-based media
* Gotthard Graubner, professor 1969–
* Rudolf Hausner, professor
* Alfred Hrdlicka, professor 1973–1975
* Friedensreich Hundertwasser, professor 1959
* Jutta Koether, painting
* Isaac Julien, professor 2006
* Sigmar Polke, professor
* Dieter Rams, professor 1981−1997
* Anselm Reyle, professor
* Helke Sander, professor 1981–2003
* Edwin Scharff
* Paul Schneider-Esleben, professor 1961–1972
* Paul Wunderlich, professor 1963–1968
* Carl Vogel, professor 1962–1989, president 1976–1989
* Jorinde Voigt, professor, painting/drawing