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75 years of the Basic Law

Sketches from Bonn: The beginnings of the Federal Government in 1949

With quick strokes and a watchful eye, the artist Milein Cosman sketched the first West German government in the fall of 1949 and captured scenes of parliamentary business in Bonn's government district.

Sketch by Milein Cosman: Federal Parliament Chamber 1949

When the weekly magazine "Heute", founded by the American military government, offered her a commission in Bonn, Cosman did not think twice. As a young artist, she did not yet have a secure income at the time and the prestigious commission offered her the opportunity to become better known in Germany.

75 years ago, Milein Cosman became a contemporary witness: she saw the politicians move into their offices and took part in debates and meetings of the first German parliament. She drew sketches at a rapid pace - as fleeting as the first days in the new parliament - and sent a wealth of drawings and portraits to the "Heute" editorial team.

Within four days, I managed to take portraits of the Federal Chancellor, Dr. Adenauer, and the Federal President, the entire cabinet, members of the opposition and the Allied High Commission.

Milein Cosman

Cosman's sketches were published in November 1949 on two double-page spreads accompanied by notes by the journalist Robert Müller. After that publication, the drawings of the historical scenes and people lay in a drawer of her graphics cabinet in exile in London for decades. Shortly before the artist's death, she acquired the art collection of the German Bundestag. In spring 2024, a selection of the sketches was on display in the special exhibition "Drawing the Moment - The Artist Milein Cosman" at the Stadtmuseum Bonn.

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  • The Cosman Keller Art and Music Trust/Art Collection of the German Bundestag
  • The Cosman Keller Art and Music Trust/Art Collection of the German Bundestag