Last week, the 4.30 meter by 3.30 meter painting “St. Francis in the Portiuncula Chapel” was successfully transported from the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne to its place of origin – Seville. It is a work by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618-1682), which was created as a centerpiece for a retable in a Capuchin convent. The depiction […]

Last week, the 4.30 meter by 3.30 meter painting “St. Francis in the Portiuncula Chapel” was successfully transported from the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne to its place of origin – Seville.

It is a work by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618-1682), which was created as a centerpiece for a retable in a Capuchin convent. The depiction refers to the so-called legend of the Portiuncula Indulgence, which emerged around the end of the 13th century. This involved a comprehensive remission of all sins, which St. Francis is said to have obtained from Pope Honorius III (1148-1227).

Murillo created the painting around 1665/66 for a monastery church and it was acquired for the Wallraff-Richartz Museum in 1898 with the help of the Cologne Friends of Art. It is now in the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla and awaits the 400th anniversary of the painter’s birth, which is to be celebrated with a major exhibition in Seville in 2017.

A custom-made insulated crate – dimensions: H. 451 cm, W. 318 cm, D. 22 cm – was produced for transportation. “To protect the museum climate, we designed a special crate using CAD, which was brought to the museum in several assemblies and finally assembled there. This meant that a large window only had to be opened once for craning,” says Franz Rixgens, Senior Project & Sales Manager at Crown Fine Art, explaining the procedure. The special feature: There was only one window on the third floor that was suitable for transporting the artwork out of the building. Crown therefore planned to lift the crate out through the window diagonal at an angle of 45 degrees and developed a so-called “A-frame” with an adjustable angle of inclination. The 600 kg crate was then transported out of the museum building with the help of a 100-ton telescopic crane and lifted into the special truck with a gutter height of 370 cm. The truck completed the 2,300 km journey in four stages and arrived successfully at the Spanish museum last Thursday.

Rixgens particularly praises the cooperation with the Wallraff-Richartz Museum: “We have to thank the team, especially the exhibition director Barbara Trier, the head registrar Reinhard Rasch, the head of the ‘Art Technology and Restoration’ department Iris Schaefer and the restorer Caroline von Saint-George. In addition to their expertise, their openness to our unusual solution spurred the process on: The use of the special crane platform, the object and building protection measures, the direction of the processes were all perfect – and Petrus must love Murillo, because we were given a rain and storm-free section of the day between 6:00 am and 12:00 pm.”

Sustainable urban planning, the protection of our open spaces and the beauty of nature are increasingly becoming the focus of society and politics. Against this backdrop, the election of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bettina Oppermann as President of the German Society for Garden Art and Landscape Culture (DGGL) not only marks a historic turning point, but also a significant step towards future-oriented landscape architecture.

On 9 November 2024, a new chapter was opened at the DGGL regional association conference in Saarbrücken: With the election of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bettina Oppermann, for the first time in the history of the DGGL, a woman is at the head of the traditional organization. She replaces Prof. Dr. Stefan Schweizer, who is stepping down after a successful term in office. Bettina Oppermann not only has many years of experience in open space planning, but has also proven herself as an active designer within the DGGL for decades.

“We should be the ones to raise awareness of the threats to environmental functions and at the same time uphold the value of parks, forests and riverbanks,” emphasized Oppermann in her inaugural speech. Her vision illustrates the central role of the DGGL in overcoming social and climatic challenges.

Bettina Oppermann is not only President, but also a renowned scientist. She has been researching and teaching at Leibniz Universität Hannover in the field of “Open Space Policy and Planning Communication” since 2002. Her work emphasizes the interfaces between science, practice and the public – an ideal basis for further developing the DGGL ‘s strategic goals. With her focus on the integration of sustainability and aesthetics, she could provide important impetus for the future of open space design.

The outgoing president, Prof. Dr. Stefan Schweizer, leaves behind a strong foundation. During his time in office, he drove forward the digitization of the DGGL, modernized the website and led important projects such as the “Rendezvous in the Garden”. He was also involved in various initiatives, including the “Initiativbündnis Historische Gärten im Klimawandel”.

These projects illustrate how the DGGL positions itself as the voice of garden and landscape culture and at the same time develops concrete solutions for the preservation of historic green spaces in times of climate change.

Sabine Freifrau von Süsskind is another strong personality to join the DGGL Executive Committee. She was elected as the new Vice President and spokesperson for the “Gartennetz Deutschland in der DGGL”. Her experience as Chairwoman of the Bavarian Parks and Gardens Association promises to strengthen regional garden initiatives. “We must bundle the interests of regional garden initiatives in order to achieve the necessary attention for German gardens in politics and society,” says von Süsskind.

The election of Bettina Oppermann and the addition of Sabine Freifrau von Süsskind to the Executive Committee show that the DGGL has embarked on a path towards a sustainable and inclusive future. With its focus on the social importance of green spaces and the role of landscape architecture in urban planning, the DGGL will continue to play a central role in the design of liveable cities.

The future of garden and landscape culture is closely linked to the major issues of our time: Climate change, urbanization and social change. The DGGL, under the leadership of Bettina Oppermann, will face up to these challenges in order to not only preserve open spaces, but also actively shape them. The focus here is on combining usability and aesthetics – a concept that is important for both cities and rural regions.

By electing a woman to the top position for the first time, the DGGL is sending out a strong signal for innovation and change in landscape architecture. The coming years promise exciting developments that will enrich not only the professional world, but also society.

Read more about the four winners of the DGGL Culture Award 2023 and their projects here.