Lars Gunnar and Niels Holger (Herrmann) Anderson Collection

Lofty Nabadayal (ca.1926-)
Kangaroo
Painting, 1950-1970
LFAC #2004:06:03

The Lars Gunnar and Niels Holger (Herrmann) Anderson Collection was donated to Luther College by Jutta Fischer (Herrmann) Anderson in spring 2004. It consists of eight Australian Aboriginal Bark paintings from Arnhem Land, accessioned into the Fine Arts Collection, and a number of Aboriginal artifacts classified in the Ethnographic Collection maintained by the Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Social Work.

Jutta Anderson and her first husband, Rolf-Dieter Herrmann, spent three months in Canberra, Australia, in 1974. During their time in Australia, the Hermanns acquired these bark paintings, one given to them as a gift and the rest purchased from art dealers. Jutta Anderson explained her goal for the donation at the time she gave these paintings to Luther College. “Over the past 30 years the continued presence of these artifacts in my various homes served as a reminder of that power that art has to teach us about worlds yet unfathomed. It is my wish that this collection may have a similar effect on this school that is predominately shaped by its European tradition an that it may instill in its students the desire to explore and value otherness.”

Born in Germany, Jutta Anderson earned her Erstes Staatsexamen (M.A. equivalent) in Art History and Art Education at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz. She served as an instructor of art at various universities in both Germany and the US before pursuing postgraduate studies in Art History, Psychology, and Theology after emigrating to the United States. She has taught and lectured on a wide variety of subjects but especially on art, art history, and art and theology during her career, including teaching a semester course at Luther College. She has been a contributing editor for Christianity and the Arts.

The bark paintings in the Fine Arts Collection all were created in Arnhem Land, a region of Australia’s Northern Territory. Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, is west of Oenpelli, an Aboriginal settlement in Arnhem Land where most of this collection originated. Bark paintings made in this area were usually created from a eucalyptus species that can be found only in this region. In an article published in 2005, referenced below, Jutta Anderson emphasized that stylistically the art of this area is distinct.

Paintings from Arnhem Land are especially known for their “x-ray style” in which the “artists depict what they know rather than what they see.” Most of the paintings in this collection include cross hatching or parallel lines in the animal’s body as well as a depiction of the animals’ organs, spinal columns, digestive tracts, etc. Anderson suggested that the works in the Fine Arts Collection relate to everyday activities. The artists were not considered professional but were individuals who integrated painting into their daily activities. The drawing of a totemic animal can be likened to a prayer for or an anticipation of a successful hunt.

Lars Gunnar and Niels Holger Anderson, for whom this collection is named, are the adopted sons of Jutta and her late husband, Rolf-Dieter Herrmann. They were adopted again by her second husband, George Anderson, shortly after their marriage.

Ref: Anderson, Jutta. “Australian Aboriginal Bark Paintings from Arnhem Land.” Agora, 17 (Spring 2005), 16-18; Hauser, Paula. "The Many Facets of Jutta." Luther College Chips. Vol. 106 (December 1, 1988)

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Updated 01/10/2007