Augsburg | A large donation of photos of the peep show has been officially received at Schaezlerpalais

At the end of 2020, Augsburg art collections and museums received about 2,400 display boxes as a gift from the family of Munich collector Joachim von Bretwitz and Gavron, who died in December 2021 at the age of 90.

Daughter Verena von Bretwitz formally handed over a stack of 2,400 sheets of paper, which took more than 50 years, to Mayor Eva on Wednesday (February 16).
Weaver and culture advisor Jürgen K. Eininger. Then, guests, including Verena von Motius Bartholi, Vice-Chairman of the Culture Committee, and Andreas Jackel, Member of the Bavarian State Parliament and Culture Committee, visited the “Declaration of the World” exhibition in the Graphics Cabinet. Since January 28, I have shown a selection of about 50 drawings. The exhibition runs until April 24 and is open every day except Mondays from 10 am to 5 pm. Submission is free.

Mayor Eva Weber talks about the importance of private sponsors

“The commitment of patrons and patrons has been an integral part of the development of Augsburg over the centuries. It is best that these cultural treasures now return to our city with a donation and enrich our art collections. We would like to thank the family for their generous donation and are pleased with the support they give to the culture of Augsburg,” said Mayor Eva Weber. Art collections and museums will preserve and explore valuable pieces of the city. Cultural advisor Jürgen K.

The donation shows the importance of Augsburg as a city of the arts

In the eighteenth century, photos of the peep show were taken in four European cities: London, Paris, Bassano (Veneto) and Augsburg. Dr. Christoph Trebisch, Managing Director of Art Collections and Museums, explains: “The quality of the productions of the five publishers for the Augsburg Peep Gallery has rapidly exceeded those of the others. Thus Augsburg became the ‘Picture Factory for Europe’, a center for the production of the Peep Show. The extensive donation from the family, including That many pieces from Augsburg publishers, illustrates the importance of Augsburg as a city of arts, not only in the Renaissance, but also in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Peep box as one of the first media

The peep show papers, often showing strange and colorful pictorial worlds, were shown to people in the 18th and 19th centuries in so-called wooden peep boxes mostly in galleries, among other places, for entertainment. The box chirping and its graphics have often shaped the worldview of broad sections of the population. This makes it one of the first media.

Collector: Joachim von Bretwitz and Gavron

Joachim von Bretwitz and Gavron (1931-2021) was born on January 9, 1931 in Leipzig. Already during his training he had the opportunity to travel to Australia and New Zealand. From the start, the law student has been a tour guide for the travel company Marco Polo and Studiosus Reisen, which was founded by one of his fellow students. This enthusiasm for faraway countries is also reflected in his collection of nearly 2,400 peep-show photos, which he has put together over the course of 50 years. Joachim von Bretwitz died at the age of 90 in November 2021 at his adopted home in Munich.