Bernhard Hoetger was a visionary German sculptor, painter, and architect whose work defied easy categorisation.
Born in Hörde, near Dortmund, Hoetger rose to prominence in the early 20th century as a key figure in German Expressionism. Deeply influenced by his time in Paris - where he encountered Auguste Rodin and the work of Gauguin - Hoetger developed a distinctive style that blended symbolism, emotional intensity, and bold form.
He was not only a sculptor of figures but of spaces, most famously realised in his architectural contributions to Bremen’s Böttcherstraße, a striking Expressionist ensemble that fused art, craft, and urban identity. Commissioned by the coffee magnate Ludwig Roselius, the street became a canvas for Hoetger’s utopian ideals and artistic experimentation, incorporating brickwork reliefs, dynamic facades, and interior designs that blurred the boundaries between function and fantasy.
