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Jeanne Mammen

ku’damm 29

Artist and Illustrator Jeanne Mammen lived and worked on the fourth floor of the rear building at Ku’damm 29 for over 50 years. Berlin born, she studied art in Paris, Brussels and Rome before returning home to work as an Illustrator for fashion magazines and as a poster designer for film company Ufa.

(pic: db-artmag.com)

Her first solo exhibition was at the Galerie Gurlitt, in 1930. It was universally acclaimed by Berlin art critics and took its inspiration from the streets, featuring depictions of strong, confident women and the burgeoning lesbian community of the late 1920s.

(pic: Jeanne-Mammen-Stiftung)

Her work was denounced by the Nazi regime and banned from publication, forcing her into poverty. During the war she made a small income by selling second-hand books and journals from a handcart in the streets, and creating art from the rubble left by the bombing. After the war she joined the existentialist cabaret Die Badewanne (The Bathtub) creating scenery, backdrops and costumes, but lead a very reclusive life amid a small circle of artistic friends.

(pic: andrejkoymasky.com)

She continued to draw and paint right up to her death at the age of 86. Her work is now in the permanent collection of the Berlinische Galerie. It is possible to take a tour of her studio at Ku’damm 29 by contacting Jeanne-Mammen-Stiftung at www.jeanne-mammen.de