A total synthesis of modern artsThe Domnick Collection
The doctors Ottomar and Greta Domnick have created an exceptional synthesis of modern arts from landscape, architecture and visual arts on the Oberensinger Höhe (Heights) in Nürtingen.
Domnick Collection
A TOTAL SYNTHESIS OF MODERN ARTS
Located overlooking the town of Nürtingen on a range of hills, the collection of abstract paintings and sculptures, open to the public, represents a cultural highlight at the foot of the Swabian Alps.
Designed as a residence, salon and museum for art and design.
The art-loving medical specialists
Ottomar Domnick and his wife Greta were among the most dedicated collectors and patrons of modern art in Germany after the Second World War. In Stuttgart, the neurological and psychiatric specialists had their own clinic near the home of Willi Baumeister. This brought Domnick into contact with the newly emerging avant-garde of abstract art. They passionately collected paintings by Baumeister, Hartung, Winter, Piene, Dorazio and many others. From 1977, the Sculptural Collection – including works by Schmitz, Ladera and Venet – was added in the garden.
Design furniture and a Steinway grand piano are also to be found.
A multifaceted talented human being
Domnick rapidly advanced to become a key figure in the art world, giving lectures and publishing books. He was also artistically active – he played the cello and organised concerts with performances of new music works. In addition, Domnick was also fascinated by experimental films, produced documentary and feature films and wrote his own screenplays. In 1957, he received both the Federal Film Prize and the Bambi Award for his work “Jonas”. Furthermore he was a lover of fast cars.
The Domnick Collection should be perceived as a synthesis of the arts – the villa, the artworks and the landscape
A building of art and for art
In 1967, Ottomar and Greta Domnick commissioned the erection of the present-day building for the collection by the Stuttgart architect Paul Stohrer intended to blend in with the Aichtal and Albtrauf landscape. Designed both internally and externally as a residential building, it offers more than just an event room and home for the paintings and sculptures. Rather the building itself can be regarded as part of the art.
Various sculptures are waiting to be discovered in a beautiful surrounding.
Symbiosis and contrast
The building blends smoothly into the surrounding contours of the slope, while its exposed concrete design simultaneously forms a contrast to nature. Inside, the private atmosphere provides both the art and visitors with a special developmental space. The garden created for the sculpture collection in 1977 invites visitors to take a tour – from there, the gaze of the eye sweeps over the surrounding landscape. A symbiosis is created, inseparably connecting the house with the collection. The structure has been a listed building since 1982 and was extensively refurbished in 2005 / 2006.