Art Association

Their aim was to revitalise and renew Christian and ecclesiastical art (paramentics; goldsmithery; church painting; church music; ecclesiastical architecture).

This purpose of the association was concretised in the revision of the statutes in 2004 and sees the mission of the association as promoting the understanding of old and new art, researching and presenting it scientifically. The association also aims to promote contemporary art in the church. The association offers space for artists and the church to meet. With a view to the church context, its work is determined by the spirit of the liturgy and also sees itself in the service of pastoral care.

The association’s activities are expressed in its publications. As early as 1854, the association issued publications, including a journal entitled “Kirchenschmuck” (Church Ornaments) as well as several individual publications; from 1883 to 1929, the “Archiv für christliche Kunst” (Archive for Christian Art) was the publication organ of the Rottenburg Diocesan Association for Christian Art (accessible in digitalised form at https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/afck). Since 1938, the association has published its member edition as a yearbook under the title “Heilige Kunst” (Holy Art); the content of the volumes is characterised by the inclusion of fundamental and historical topics on art, presentations of exhibition projects and a description of current building and art work in the diocese.

The (former) presidents of the association:

Joseph Scherer (1852–1853)
Dr Carl Joseph von Hefele (1853–1860)
Dr Franz Joseph Schwarz (1860–1885)
Dr Paul Wilhelm von Keppler (1885–1894)
Heinrich Detzel (1894–1906)
Arthur Schöninger (1907–1918)
Dr Ignaz Rohr (1918–1927)
Albert Pfeffer (1927–1937)
Dr Erich Endrich (1937–1978)
Msgr. Josef Anselm Graf Adelmann von Adelmannsfelden (1979–2002)
Michael Kessler (2002–2018)
Engelbert Paulus (2018–2019)
Martin R. Handschuh (2021–2022)
Paul Magino (from 2022)