Gottfried Benn: Reading by Florian Illies & art talk with Hubertus Giebe at the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend

Gottfried Benn, one of the most famous poets and essayists of the first half of the 20th century, was also a doctor and worked as a pathologist in 1912/1913 at the Westend Hospital, today's DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend. The Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the ‘FIGUREN IM PARK - Foundation of Heidi and Dieter Brusberg with the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend’ are extremely pleased that the well-known Dresden painter and sculptor Hubertus Giebe will be donating a bust of the renowned author to the foundation.

To mark the occasion, bestselling author Florian Illies will read from his biography ‘About Gottfried Benn’ and from his novel of the century ‘1913’. Interested parties, patients, relatives, staff and visitors are cordially invited to this event.

Friday, 11 October 2024.
Aue of the DRK Kliniken, Berlin Westend, near the bust of Gottfried Benn (in front of entrance D, Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics) Spandauer Damm 130, 14050 Berlin

Participants:

Florian Illies and Hubertus Giebe

Chairwoman of the Board of the DRK-Schwesternschaft Berlin e.V.: Matron Doreen Fuhr

Chairman of the Management Board of DRK Kliniken Berlin: Dr Christian Friese

Board of the association KUNST im WESTEND e.V.: Priv.-Doz. Dr Bernd Frericks

Board of the FIGUREN IM PARK Foundation: Felix Brusberg, Dr Dietmar Peikert and Dr Eva Morawietz, as well as Kurhaus Berlin.

Eva Morawietz, also curator of the association KUNST im WESTEND e.V.

The ceremony

FLORIAN ILLIES & HUBERTUS GIEBE on Gottfried Benn

Start of the reading: 3.00 pm

Kochhaus (House K) - Admission from 2.30 pm

of the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend | Spandauer Damm 130, 14050 Berlin

Afterwards, Florian Illies, Hubertus Giebe and Dr Eva Morawietz will talk about Gottfried Benn and their commitment to an essayist and poet who still fascinates and touches us today with the depths and unique power of his works. At the subsequent signing session, there will be the opportunity to purchase and have works by Florian Illies and Hubertus Giebe signed. A book table will be provided by the Berlin bookshop ‘der Divan’.

The event is made possible by the ‘FIGUREN IM PARK - Stiftung von Heidi und Dieter Brusberg mit den DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend’ and the sponsoring organisation ‘KUNST IM WESTEND e.V.’, supported by the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend. Registration is not necessary.

Instead of an entrance fee, we kindly ask you to support the two non-profit cultural institutions under the umbrella of the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend in the form of a donation on site or to:

FIGUREN IM PARK Foundation
BIC BFSWDE33BER
IBAN DE93 3702 0500 0003 1496 00

The donation

Hubertus Giebes' bronze bust shows Gottfried Benn at the age of around 30, at the time when he was working as a pathologist on the hospital grounds in Westend in 1912/1913. Giebe created three versions of this portrait in 2021. Another version, which is on loan from the Brusberg family, shows an older Gottfried Benn and can be seen on the meadow of the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend in front of the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

The artists

HUBERTUS GIEBE, born in 1953, is a German painter, graphic artist and sculptor.

Numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad, including at the 44th Venice Biennale, the Albertinum in Dresden and the Museum Fridericianum in Kassel, have established his international reputation. He lives and works in Dresden.

Journalist and author FLORIAN ILLIES, born in 1971, published the bestsellers ‘1913’ and ‘Liebe in Zeiten des Hasses’ with S. Fischer after years in the feature pages of the FAZ and ZEIT. In his recently published work ‘Zauber der Stille’ (Magic of Silence), he tells the story of Caspar David Friedrich's paintings in a large-scale journey through time. Illies lives in Berlin as a writer and co-editor of DIE ZEIT.

Moderation

Dr Eva Morawietz is a board member of the FIGUREN IM PARK - Foundation of Heidi and Dieter Brusberg with the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend and curator of the KUNST IM WESTEND e.V. association. She also heads the LUDES Foundation in Potsdam.

Advance press and interview date

Start: 2.15 pm

Further information

Website of the figures in the park: www.figurenimpark.de

Instagram: figuren_im_park

More information on ‘Kunst im Westend e.V.’ and the cultural commitment of the DRK Kliniken Berlin Westend: https://www.drk-kliniken-berlin.de/kunst-kultur-krankenhaus

The DRK Kliniken Berlin is a non-profit organisation with four hospitals, a hospice and an inpatient care facility, whose sole shareholder is the DRK-Schwesternschaft Berlin e.V. (German Red Cross Nurses' Association). In over 30 specialist departments, 26 certified centres, eight certified organ centres, three central emergency departments and with numerous outpatient services, over 200,000 patients per year are treated by around 4,000 employees: this makes the DRK Kliniken Berlin one of the largest employers and most important healthcare providers in the capital.