The history
The Bad Reichenhall Municipal Art Academy, founded in 1996 and grown into an artistic education center with art courses 350 days a year, is more alive than ever. In collaboration with the director of the salt works, Dr. Richard Griß, the artist Angerer the Younger and Rupert Fegg, the idea of holding a summer academy of fine arts to mark the “Year of Salt” was born in 1994. Art in the Old Salt Works – under this motto, the Bad Reichenhall salt works organized a summer academy for the first time in 1995 in Sudhaus IV. The great enthusiasm of the first visitors and a variety of initiatives at all levels provided the impetus for the renovation of today’s main building (Brine Reserve III). The great idea of Bad Reichenhall as a city of art and culture was the inspiration for all these considerations and fell on fertile ground.
In 1996, more than 50 pupils took part in the two summer weeks led by Angerer the Younger and Sigi Braun. This was reason enough for Rupert Fegg to expand the offer and provide a year-round program. In the years that followed, this has steadily developed into an internationally renowned institution with up to 2000 participants a year. As a municipal institution, the Bad Reichenhall Art Academy has a public educational mandate. The range of courses on offer is correspondingly broad. Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, paper design as well as installation and performance are the components of the annual course offerings. A large number of highly qualified, internationally recognized lecturers are available.
In 2002, the Bad Reichenhall Art Academy was able to attract a star of the international art scene as a lecturer: Prof. Markus Lüpertz. His commitment made a decisive contribution to the reputation of the KunstAkademie and is now continued by internationally renowned lecturers such as Jerry Zeniuk, Rosa Loy, Leiko Ikemura, Heribert C. Ottersbach, Katharina Sieverding and Mischa Kuball.
Today, the range of activities is greatly expanded by events and exhibitions in the Städtische Galerie im Alten Feuerhaus.