Hans-Joachim Bohlmann
Encyclopedia
Hans-Joachim Bohlmann was a German serial vandal
who primarily targeted artworks at public exhibitions. Between 1977 and 2006, he damaged over 50 paintings worth more than 270 million Deutsche Marks (about 138 million euro) by such artists as Rubens, Rembrandt and Dürer
.
Since his youth, Bohlmann suffered a serious personality disorder
. At the age of 16, he voluntarily went to the psychiatric clinic of the University of Kiel
and underwent electric shock
and insulin
treatments. Around that time, he was a plumber apprentice, but could not focus on a single occupation and was doing various jobs. He had several therapy courses involving tranquilizers
, antidepressant
s, antipsychotic
drugs, behavior therapy and group therapy
, but with very limited success.
In 1968, Bohlmann got married and worked for six years at a warehouse. He then frequently took valium and haloperidol
and regularly attended church masses. In 1974, he met the neurosurgeon Dieter Müller from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf who suggested a lobotomy
treatment. Although Müller predicted a 75–80% chance of success, the operation brought no improvement. It was later criticized as obsolete and merely reduced Bohlmann's intelligence. On 11 March 1977, his wife fell from a window while cleaning and died from injuries soon after. According to Bohlmann, the death of his wife turned him to vandalism. Previously, he often visited museums with his wife and saw the importance of art in society. He then started to buy sulfuric acid
at pharmacies and spray it on paintings.
His vandalism campaign started on 16 March 1977 in a city park and followed on 29 March 1977 in Kunsthalle Hamburg
, where he damaged the painting Golden Fish by Paul Klee
. It was followed by other attacks in Hamburg
, Lübeck
, Lüneburg
, Essen
, Dortmund
, Hannover, Bochum
, Kassel
, Düsseldorf
and Hamelin
. On 16 August 1977, he poured sulfuric acid on several artworks including portraits of Martin Luther and his wife Katharina von Bora by Lucas Cranach the Elder
in the Lower Saxony State Museum
of Hanover. On 24 August 1977, he damaged the painting Archduke Albrecht by Rubens in Düsseldorf and on 7 October 1977 four paintings in Schloss Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel, estimated at more than 25 million euros, among them Rembrandt's Jacob blessing Joseph's second son, 1656, a self-portrait by Rembrandt and Willem Drost
's Noli me tangere. In his attacks, Bohlmann was primarily targeting the faces of the personages, trying to inflict maximum damage. Bohlmann's activity was not restricted to paintings and museums. For example, he also ignited an altar in Lübeck and sprayed hundreds of tombstones with swastikas at night in Hamburg. The outrage in the newspapers only encouraged him—as he felt he was becoming a celebrity—so much so that he abandoned the antidepressant drugs he had taken regularly.
Bohlmann was arrested in October 1977 and in 1979 convicted by the Hamburg Regional Court to five years in prison for 17 cases of damage to public property, 3 cases of damage to private property and one case of cruelty to animals. He served the term in full until 6 October 1982. After release from prison, Bohlmann resumed vandalism. He was then banned from buying acid and instead committed arsons at the construction site near Hamburg inflicting damage estimated at 65,000 euro. For this crime, the Hamburg Regional Court sentenced him to three years ending on 5 May 1986. A part of his pension was seized for the damage done to Ruben's Archduke Albrecht, and in the autumn of 1987 he went for treatment in the psychiatric department of the Hospital Hamburg-Eilbek
.
In March 1988, Bohlmann bought two litres of sulfuric acid and hid them in a park. On 20 April 1988, he took a leave from the hospital and the next day splashed acid on three paintings by Albrecht Dürer in Munich's Alte Pinakothek
, namely Lamentation for Christ, Paumgartner Altar and Mater Dolarosa inflicting damage estimated at 35 million euro. Immediately after the attacks, he was arrested and held in the psychiatric hospital of Haar, Bavaria
. In 1989 he was convicted by the Munich District Court to a two-year imprisonment, concurrent with treatment as long as necessary in a psychiatric hospital, and in March 1990 transferred to the clinic in Hamburg-Ochsenzoll. Bohlmann escaped from there in January 1998 and after being at large for two days he was found at a subway station, possibly on the way back to the hospital. On 30 July 2001 he escaped again but returned to hospital the next morning.
In Ochsenzoll he attended art therapy and for nine years painted pictures, almost every day, with a total number of about 1500. In January 2005, more than 16 years after his arrest in Munich, Bohlmann was released to public life. On 25 June 2006, in the Rijksmuseum
in Amsterdam, he splashed lighter fuel on the painting Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Peace of Münster (1648) by Bartholomeus van der Helst
and set fire to it. Most damage was to the varnish layer. Bohlmann was sentenced to 3 years by the court in Amsterdam. After serving two thirds of the sentence, on 24 June 2008 he was released from prison, returned to Hamburg and died there on 19 January 2009 of cancer.
Vandalism of art
Vandalism of art refers to intentional damage of an artwork . The object is usually exhibited in public, becomes damaged as a result of the act, and remains in place right after the act...
who primarily targeted artworks at public exhibitions. Between 1977 and 2006, he damaged over 50 paintings worth more than 270 million Deutsche Marks (about 138 million euro) by such artists as Rubens, Rembrandt and Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
.
Life
Bohlmann was born in Breslau (modern Wrocław).Since his youth, Bohlmann suffered a serious personality disorder
Personality disorder
Personality disorders, formerly referred to as character disorders, are a class of personality types and behaviors. Personality disorders are noted on Axis II of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association.Personality disorders are...
. At the age of 16, he voluntarily went to the psychiatric clinic of the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
and underwent electric shock
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
and insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
treatments. Around that time, he was a plumber apprentice, but could not focus on a single occupation and was doing various jobs. He had several therapy courses involving tranquilizers
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
, antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
s, antipsychotic
Antipsychotic
An antipsychotic is a tranquilizing psychiatric medication primarily used to manage psychosis , particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A first generation of antipsychotics, known as typical antipsychotics, was discovered in the 1950s...
drugs, behavior therapy and group therapy
Group psychotherapy
Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group...
, but with very limited success.
In 1968, Bohlmann got married and worked for six years at a warehouse. He then frequently took valium and haloperidol
Haloperidol
Haloperidol is a typical antipsychotic. It is in the butyrophenone class of antipsychotic medications and has pharmacological effects similar to the phenothiazines....
and regularly attended church masses. In 1974, he met the neurosurgeon Dieter Müller from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf who suggested a lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
treatment. Although Müller predicted a 75–80% chance of success, the operation brought no improvement. It was later criticized as obsolete and merely reduced Bohlmann's intelligence. On 11 March 1977, his wife fell from a window while cleaning and died from injuries soon after. According to Bohlmann, the death of his wife turned him to vandalism. Previously, he often visited museums with his wife and saw the importance of art in society. He then started to buy sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
at pharmacies and spray it on paintings.
His vandalism campaign started on 16 March 1977 in a city park and followed on 29 March 1977 in Kunsthalle Hamburg
Kunsthalle Hamburg
The Hamburger Kunsthalle is an art museum in Hamburg, Germany. The art museum focuses on painting in Hamburg in the 14th century, paintings by Dutch and Flemish artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, French and German paintings of the 19th century, modern, and contemporary art...
, where he damaged the painting Golden Fish by Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
. It was followed by other attacks in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
, Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Hannover, Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
, Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
and Hamelin
Hamelin
Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 ....
. On 16 August 1977, he poured sulfuric acid on several artworks including portraits of Martin Luther and his wife Katharina von Bora by Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder , was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving...
in the Lower Saxony State Museum
Lower Saxony State Museum
The Lower Saxony State Museum is a museum in Hanover, Germany. It is located opposite the New City Hall. The museum comprises the State Gallery , featuring paintings and sculptures from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, plus departments of archaeology, natural history and ethnology...
of Hanover. On 24 August 1977, he damaged the painting Archduke Albrecht by Rubens in Düsseldorf and on 7 October 1977 four paintings in Schloss Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel, estimated at more than 25 million euros, among them Rembrandt's Jacob blessing Joseph's second son, 1656, a self-portrait by Rembrandt and Willem Drost
Willem Drost
Willem Drost was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker of history paintings and portraits who died young.-Biography:...
's Noli me tangere. In his attacks, Bohlmann was primarily targeting the faces of the personages, trying to inflict maximum damage. Bohlmann's activity was not restricted to paintings and museums. For example, he also ignited an altar in Lübeck and sprayed hundreds of tombstones with swastikas at night in Hamburg. The outrage in the newspapers only encouraged him—as he felt he was becoming a celebrity—so much so that he abandoned the antidepressant drugs he had taken regularly.
Bohlmann was arrested in October 1977 and in 1979 convicted by the Hamburg Regional Court to five years in prison for 17 cases of damage to public property, 3 cases of damage to private property and one case of cruelty to animals. He served the term in full until 6 October 1982. After release from prison, Bohlmann resumed vandalism. He was then banned from buying acid and instead committed arsons at the construction site near Hamburg inflicting damage estimated at 65,000 euro. For this crime, the Hamburg Regional Court sentenced him to three years ending on 5 May 1986. A part of his pension was seized for the damage done to Ruben's Archduke Albrecht, and in the autumn of 1987 he went for treatment in the psychiatric department of the Hospital Hamburg-Eilbek
Eilbek
Eilbek is a quarter of the German city of Hamburg and part of the Wandsbek borough. It originated as an independent small village on the outskirts of Hamburg and was eventually incorporated when the city expanded...
.
In March 1988, Bohlmann bought two litres of sulfuric acid and hid them in a park. On 20 April 1988, he took a leave from the hospital and the next day splashed acid on three paintings by Albrecht Dürer in Munich's Alte Pinakothek
Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek is an art museum situated in the Kunstareal in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses one of the most famous collections of Old Master paintings...
, namely Lamentation for Christ, Paumgartner Altar and Mater Dolarosa inflicting damage estimated at 35 million euro. Immediately after the attacks, he was arrested and held in the psychiatric hospital of Haar, Bavaria
Haar, Bavaria
Haar is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is 12 km east of Munich . As of 2005 it has a population of some 20'000.It is home to the Haar Disciples, a team in the first division of German's Baseball Bundesliga....
. In 1989 he was convicted by the Munich District Court to a two-year imprisonment, concurrent with treatment as long as necessary in a psychiatric hospital, and in March 1990 transferred to the clinic in Hamburg-Ochsenzoll. Bohlmann escaped from there in January 1998 and after being at large for two days he was found at a subway station, possibly on the way back to the hospital. On 30 July 2001 he escaped again but returned to hospital the next morning.
In Ochsenzoll he attended art therapy and for nine years painted pictures, almost every day, with a total number of about 1500. In January 2005, more than 16 years after his arrest in Munich, Bohlmann was released to public life. On 25 June 2006, in the Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam or simply Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, located on the Museumplein. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian art...
in Amsterdam, he splashed lighter fuel on the painting Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Peace of Münster (1648) by Bartholomeus van der Helst
Bartholomeus van der Helst
Bartholomeus van der Helst was a Dutch portrait painter.-Biography:Born in Haarlem, the son of a Haarlem innkeeper, Van der Helst moved to Amsterdam some time before 1636, for he was married there in that year...
and set fire to it. Most damage was to the varnish layer. Bohlmann was sentenced to 3 years by the court in Amsterdam. After serving two thirds of the sentence, on 24 June 2008 he was released from prison, returned to Hamburg and died there on 19 January 2009 of cancer.
See also
- Art destructionArt destructionArt destruction involves the damaging or destruction of works of art. This can happen through a natural process, an accident, or deliberate human involvement.-Natural destruction:...
- Art forgeryArt forgeryArt forgery is the creation of works of art which are falsely attributed to other, usually more famous, artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler....
- Art interventionArt interventionArt intervention is an interaction with a previously existing artwork, audience or venue/space. It has the auspice of conceptual art and is commonly a form of performance art. It is associated with the Viennese Actionists, the Dada movement and Neo-Dadaists...
- Art theftArt theftArt theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...
- Degenerate artDegenerate artDegenerate art is the English translation of the German entartete Kunst, a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art. Such art was banned on the grounds that it was un-German or Jewish Bolshevist in nature, and those identified as degenerate artists were...
- IconoclasmIconoclasmIconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
- Looted artLooted artLooted art has been a consequence of looting during war, natural disaster and riot for centuries. Looting of art, archaeology and other cultural property may be an opportunistic criminal act, or may be a more organized case of unlawful or unethical pillage by the victor of a conflict."Looted art"...
- Vandalism of artVandalism of artVandalism of art refers to intentional damage of an artwork . The object is usually exhibited in public, becomes damaged as a result of the act, and remains in place right after the act...