The art historian Prof. Dr Georg Bussmann, born in 1933, passed away last Wednesday (18 March 2026) at the age of 92.
From 1979 until his retirement (1998), Bussmann taught as a professor of Art History and Aesthetics at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. He left a lasting mark on the institution and inspired generations of students.
The renowned art historian and curator set new standards in the intersection of art and politics. From 1970 to 1980, he directed the Frankfurter Kunstverein and developed a bold, politically charged exhibition programme in the post-war period. He viewed exhibitions as a form of social engagement and a space for critical dialogue.
Bussmann became known above all for pioneering exhibitions such as Kunst im 3. Reich. Dokumente ihrer Unterwerfung (1974). It is regarded as the first comprehensive exhibition in the Federal Republic of Germany to critically examine art under National Socialism and to uncover the ideological functions of art. Through the critical contextualisation of works, he developed an approach which he continued in numerous other exhibitions, including Rückblick in Sachen Kunst und Politik (1978) at the Kunstverein Frankfurt, and which had a lasting influence on politically reflective exhibition practice in Germany.
The Kunsthochschule Kassel will remember Prof. Georg Bussmann with gratitude, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family.