This year, Strasbourg is celebrating in an unusual way: the annual title of “Christmas Capital” has been preceded by the more exclusive “Book Capital of the World” since April 23rd. The UNESCO designation is valid for one year from World Book and Copyright Day. In the Rhine metropolis it is an occasion for a variety of events. A highlight is the now opened exhibition “Place à Gutenberg!” (“The Gutenberg Monument by David d’Angers: A plea for coexistence”): It is the Gutenberg statue created by David d’Angers in 1840 on the square of the same name dedicated.Who does it belong to – Mainz or Strasbourg?Johannes Gensfleisch, called Gutenberg (around 1400 to 1468), is from Mainz, but developed the printing technology to technical maturity during his stay in Strasbourg between 1434 and 1444. Therefore, Mainz and Strasbourg have always argued about which city is the true cradle of the art of printing. The debate came to a head in the century of nationalism: from 1824 onwards, Mainz celebrated Gutenberg annually, and in 1837 a statue by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen was inaugurated with great pomp. Since the year 1840 was approaching, people in Strasbourg wanted to come up with something: Since the 16th century, Gutenberg has been celebrated every year in the fortieth year of a secular age. Pierre-Jean David, called David d’Angers in contrast to the classicist painter David d’Angers (1788 to 1856 ) already had a reputation as a sculptor at this point. Without competition and free of charge, he created one of his masterpieces in Gutenberg’s honor; the implementation was financed by subscription. David chose the Gärtnermarktplatz as the location: the then seat of the mayor’s office is located between the Catholic cathedral and the Protestant St. Thomas Church; the Republican and Freemason David had both denominations and his own like-minded people behind him. He had his long-bearded, modest-looking Gutenberg look towards Münster, the city’s most important building, the printing press and typesetting box next to and behind him, and in his raised left hand a printed sheet of the famous Bible. He placed the statue on a sandstone base with four bronze ones on it -Reliefs that represent continents: Whether among European writers and enlighteners, among American intellectuals and native peoples, among English abolitionists in Africa or in the exchange between Orientalists and Asians – the printing press is at the center everywhere as an instrument of education and enlightenment. The emancipatory ideals of David, who also advocated the abolition of slavery, are showcased. The multi-layered reliefs impress with their wealth of detail and figures – more than a hundred personalities can be seen who were identified in advance during the restoration of the statue. The visitor can have it explained to them using a QR code on their mobile phone. The exhibition includes two other nearby locations: the Musée historique and the Espace Emma Muller. The museum presents the current use of the space in the entrance hall; An ethnologist analyzed it and used videos and quotes to illustrate its everyday use. In the actual exhibition, the museum provides information about the history, context and creation process of the monument. Sources of inspiration such as the contemporary Gutenberg paintings by Gabriel-Christophe Guérin (1827) and Jean-Antoine Laurent (1831) are just as present as the sketches or documents on the political dimension. There are printing presses on all four continents depicted in the monument reliefs: David d’Angers’ “Monument à Gutenberg”, 1840M. Bertola / Musées de StrasbourgThe context contains the most interesting aspect of the exhibition: the conception and construction of the monument take place in three major areas of tension. Internationally, the competition dominates with Mainz, which conflicts with the universal claim of the statue – a nationally typical contrast that results from France’s civilizational claim; At the same time, Gutenberg becomes a less than Germanic universalist. The national context is also challenging, because the project stands at odds with the politics of Citizen King Louis-Philippe: The July Monarchy, which emerged from a revolt for freedom of the press, only passed a law in 1835 that severely restricted it. The work of art, on the other hand, celebrated them – it was no coincidence that the poet and MP Alphonse de Lamartine, who had criticized the law in a speech, was one of his supporters. The closer the inauguration ceremony got, the more nervous the representatives of the central state became. Unfortunately, this aspect is not emphasized in the exhibition, but curator Odile Lassère describes it when asked. Locally, it was primarily religious factions that opposed each other: in its original version, the European relief gave Martin Luther a place of honor, given the importance of the printing press for the Reformation obvious. The Catholic supporters, however, protested, and David tried in vain to reach an agreement with the preacher Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet; In the final version of the reliefs from 1844, only Erasmus and Montesquieu can be seen. In the exhibition, the change can be seen on preliminary stages and an interactive screen; In general, she doesn’t skimp on explanatory panels or new media or objects. During the 1840 parade, almost the entire city was on its feet. The latter dominate the third stage in the Espace Emma Muller: It documents the inauguration celebrations from June 24th to 26th, 1840, attended by 100,000 people are said to have taken part, including Gustave Doré, who was only eight years old. The main focus was the trade parade on the first day, where the craft town demonstrated its skills; Both objects – the leather flag of the tanners, the barrel of the barrel maker, the boots of the shoemaker’s guild – as well as their depiction on lithographs by Eugène Glück provide a good impression of this. The media self-reinforcement is impressive: David celebrates the inventor of the printing press and then increases his fame with the same means, lithographs, which make his work internationally known. The German-French tension was apparently defused in the celebration: the festival program is bilingual, as well Praise of Progress printed at the foot of the statue. The German authorities during the Nazi era, on the other hand, wanted it to be monolingual: they translated the printed sheet that Gutenberg holds in his left hand and changed “Et la lumière fut” to “And there was light”. Fortunately, the exhibition is different: its texts are also in German and English.More on the topicThe Gutenberg Monument by David d’Angers: A plea for living together. Strasbourg History Museum; until February 23, 2025. No catalog.
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