Sepp Vees

Sepp Vees, born Wolfgang Vees on November 11, 1908, in Gundershofen and passing away on December 1, 1989, in Weissach-Flacht, was a distinguished German artist. He was the son of a teacher and attended the Karlsgymnasium in Stuttgart. However, he developed a passion for painting early on and initially worked as a self-taught artist in his native Swabian Jura. In 1926, at his father’s urging, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kassel as a master student under Georg Burmester.

After studying near Worpswede and in Berlin, he continued his education from 1929 to 1932 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, where he was a student of Robert Breyer. Following the rise of the National Socialists and the restrictions placed on the art scene, Vees retreated from Stuttgart to Flacht in 1933. During World War II, he served as a soldier in France and Russia. After returning from English captivity, which he spent in East Frisia, he resumed his career as a freelance artist in Flacht.

Vees undertook numerous study trips to Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, France (especially Brittany), Austria, England, Turkey, and Tunisia. In 1952, he became a member of the Free Group Stuttgart, and in 1958, he was a founding member of the Sindelfingen Secession.

He defined himself as an expressive painter, drawing inspiration from the colors of Paul Cézanne and the spontaneity of artists such as Max Slevogt, Lovis Corinth, and Max Liebermann. In addition to his paintings, Sepp Vees created numerous concrete stained glass windows, leaded glass windows, mosaics, and sgraffiti for public buildings and churches.

Vees passed away in 1989 in his chosen home of Flacht. In 1995, 40 paintings from his estate were donated to the municipality of Weissach, and since 2000, they have been displayed in the Sepp Vees Gallery located in the old school building in Flacht. In 2008, to commemorate what would have been Sepp Vees’ 100th birthday, two exhibitions were held: a memorial exhibition and a sale exhibition.

In 1929, Vees was a founding member of the Stuttgart New Secession, which is considered a successor to the Stuttgart Secession. Other members included Manfred Pahl, Wilhelm Geyer, Manfred Henninger, Alfred Lehmann, and Gustav Schopf, with the group often associated with Expressionist Realism and the “Lost Generation.” Sepp Vees participated in two of the three major exhibitions of the group in 1931 and 1932, with the first exhibition taking place on August 20, 1929, in Stuttgart.