Who was Edwin Scharff?

Unfortunately, the 65th BetonTage cannot take place in the Edwin-Scharff House as previously. Instead, the organizers are forced to resort to a purely virtual event. For us participants, the BetonTage in the Edwin-Scharff House have become a matter of course. This normality will for the first time not take place. In these times, in which in particular art and cultural facilities and the travel sector and the hotel and restaurant business suffer, we should therefore give more thought to these important sectors. We all too often tend to forget that the name of this conference center is also connected with a notable artist who, due to his art (some of which having been denounced as degenerate art by the Nazis) significantly contributed to the history and social development of Germany.

Thematically, in addition to his depictions of horses, humanistic tradition characterize the work of Edwin Scharff as sculptor, medalist and graphic artist. The form language of this artist, born on 21 March 1887 in Neu-Ulm, lies between stylized, expressive and cubicized
representation (Wikipedia.) The city of Neu-Ulm has honored the artistic lifetime achievement of Edwin Scharff with the conference center perfectly embedded in the embankment landscape of the Danube. The Neu-Ulm cultural and congress center was designed in  1970 by the Munich architect Bernhard von Busse. The design was awarded a prize by the Association of German Architects.

Virtual BetonTage, with all the euphoria about the opportunities of digitation, are not a real substitute for a face-to-face event in the
Edwin-Scharff House, where we feel at ease, make new contacts and cultivate existing ones. We will become really conscious of the significance of this location when the BetonTage cannot take place  there. Let’s all hope that a new investor for the insolvent Golden Tulip  Hotel will be found so that we can meet once again at the familiar  place, in the Edwin-Scharff House at the 66th BetonTage in 2022.

We should feel special solidarity with the sectors that are affected much more severely and radically than are we by the Corona crisis. Here, in particular, we can mention the stakeholders in arts and culture whose significance – as in the case of Edwin Scharff – is often quickly forgotten. These sectors need to be supported in this crisis by personal engagement as well as with financial means.

In this sense we wish you much enjoyment and insight enhancement in our virtual space.

Yours,