HOMESTORY
“I love MyMorningSkirt”
interview 12/24
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Detmers
Managing Partner, Mestemacher GmbH
Art collector
Dear Ulli, you are now planning to slowly retire from your family business, Mestemacher GmbH, after more than 40 years. You have had an impressive career, not only being the head of communications, PR and sales for your company, but you have also raised two children, are a grandmother and Prof. Dr. Detmers (Department of Business Administration). Now things are set to slow down for you professionally. Do you already have a plan for your "new" life?
Yes, (laughs). First of all, I’m looking forward to a relaxing time with my sweetheart, Albert, with whom I’ll be married for 50 years next year. We are both lovers of culture and art. When we soon have a little more time for our private lives, I would like to develop our own art collection. That’s why we’re planning to go to lots of exhibitions and art events to keep us inspired. In addition, our own private museum in Johannisthal in Bielefeld was completed this year – I am planning numerous art and cultural events for this in the future, which I am very much looking forward to.
That sounds exciting. So there will be plenty of time in the future for your husband, art and the finer things in life. Not everyone has their own art museum either, that's very special. How did you come up with this idea and how long have you been involved with art anyway?
I earned the money for my first work of art in 1974 in my future father-in-law’s bakery. I worked there during the school vacations as a high school graduate. At the time, I had seen the artwork in the private apartment of a well-known art professor in Bielefeld. When I asked him if it was for sale, he offered it to me at a special price because I didn’t have much money. It was supposed to cost me 500 marks. I bought this work of art after my vacation job and gave it to my great love and later husband, Albert.
How romantic! Those are two great loves that have accompanied you for almost as long in your life... Albert and art. How did you come up with the idea of a joint private art museum?
Ippazio Fracasso, a painter who is special to us, whom we have been supporting and collecting for many years and who has become our friend, raved to us about an over 100-year-old art nouveau villa for sale in Johannisthal in Bielefeld. We drove to Johannisthal with the idea of looking at this property purely as an investment. I fell in love with this special house as soon as I saw it for the first time. We then bought it. During the renovation phase, we came up with the idea of placing a large part of our art collection there and turning the house into a private home of art and culture. We have retained the lovingly stylish interior, consisting of wonderful fixtures from the 1920s. We see this as a cultural legacy of special interior design from the 1920s, which should be part of our art and culture promotion concept. Since this year, 2024, the villa, including our exhibited art, has been completed.
Are there general opening hours for everyone or how is this concept to be understood?
No, there is no such thing. In addition to our private art collection, we select artists who we offer the opportunity to present their work temporarily in our rooms. For example, easels are set up to show the additional exhibits. We issue exclusive invitations to these special exhibitions in the form of private viewings. We have our own mailing list, which consists of people and friends interested in art and is constantly being expanded selectively.
You and Albert have a great time ahead of you, so you certainly won't get bored in your home region of East Westphalia. Are you planning to travel more in the future?
In any case. We are particularly interested in cities that offer cultural and artistic highlights. Such as Paris, Florence, London, Vienna… Speaking of Vienna. Our big private anniversary is our 50th wedding anniversary in winter 2025, which we are planning with family, friends and a surprise entertainment in Vienna. We are really looking forward to it. Our lives will certainly never be boring (laughs).
–
Albert, Ulrike, Fritz and Helma Detmers take over Mestermacher GmbH in Gütersloh in 1985. Their two children Christine and Albert Hendrik were born in 1980 and 1983. In 1994, Ulrike Detmers was an active professor of business administration at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. She founded the Mestermacher “Daycare Center of the Year” award in 2000, the Mestemacher “Manager of the Year” award in 2002, the “Top Father of the Year” award in 2005 and the Mestemacher “Living Together” award in 2017.
In the pictures you can see Prof. Dr. Ulrike Detmers. Ulrike Detmers likes to spend a few days a week with her husband in the family’s own private art museum, an Art Nouveau villa from the 1920s. She likes to wear a silk robe from MyMorgenrock to keep things particularly cozy and stylish.
HOMESTORY
“I love MyMorningSkirt”
interview 12/24
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Detmers
Managing Partner, Mestemacher GmbH
Art collector
Dear Ulli, you are now planning to slowly retire from your family business, Mestemacher GmbH, after more than 40 years. You have had an impressive career, not only being the head of communications, PR and sales for your company, but you have also raised two children, are a grandmother and Prof. Dr. Detmers (Department of Business Administration). Now things are set to slow down for you professionally. Do you already have a plan for your "new" life?
Yes, (laughs). First of all, I’m looking forward to a relaxing time with my sweetheart, Albert, with whom I’ll be married for 50 years next year. We are both lovers of culture and art. When we soon have a little more time for our private lives, I would like to develop our own art collection. That’s why we’re planning to go to lots of exhibitions and art events to keep us inspired. In addition, our own private museum in Johannisthal in Bielefeld was completed this year – I am planning numerous art and cultural events for this in the future, which I am very much looking forward to.
That sounds exciting. So there will be plenty of time in the future for your husband, art and the finer things in life. Not everyone has their own art museum either, that's very special. How did you come up with this idea and how long have you been involved with art anyway?
I earned the money for my first work of art in 1974 in my future father-in-law’s bakery. I worked there during the school vacations as a high school graduate. At the time, I had seen the artwork in the private apartment of a well-known art professor in Bielefeld. When I asked him if it was for sale, he offered it to me at a special price because I didn’t have much money. It was supposed to cost me 500 marks. I bought this work of art after my vacation job and gave it to my great love and later husband, Albert.
How romantic! Those are two great loves that have accompanied you for almost as long in your life... Albert and art. How did you come up with the idea of a joint private art museum?
Ippazio Fracasso, a painter who is special to us, whom we have been supporting and collecting for many years and who has become our friend, raved to us about an over 100-year-old art nouveau villa for sale in Johannisthal in Bielefeld. We drove to Johannisthal with the idea of looking at this property purely as an investment. I fell in love with this special house as soon as I saw it for the first time. We then bought it. During the renovation phase, we came up with the idea of placing a large part of our art collection there and turning the house into a private home of art and culture. We have retained the lovingly stylish interior, consisting of wonderful fixtures from the 1920s. We see this as a cultural legacy of special interior design from the 1920s, which should be part of our art and culture promotion concept. Since this year, 2024, the villa, including our exhibited art, has been completed.
Are there general opening hours for everyone or how is this concept to be understood?
No, there is no such thing. In addition to our private art collection, we select artists who we offer the opportunity to present their work temporarily in our rooms. For example, easels are set up to show the additional exhibits. We issue exclusive invitations to these special exhibitions in the form of private viewings. We have our own mailing list, which consists of people and friends interested in art and is constantly being expanded selectively.
You and Albert have a great time ahead of you, so you certainly won't get bored in your home region of East Westphalia. Are you planning to travel more in the future?
In any case. We are particularly interested in cities that offer cultural and artistic highlights. Such as Paris, Florence, London, Vienna… Speaking of Vienna. Our big private anniversary is our 50th wedding anniversary in winter 2025, which we are planning with family, friends and a surprise entertainment in Vienna. We are really looking forward to it. Our lives will certainly never be boring (laughs).
–
Albert, Ulrike, Fritz and Helma Detmers take over Mestermacher GmbH in Gütersloh in 1985. Their two children Christine and Albert Hendrik were born in 1980 and 1983. In 1994, Ulrike Detmers was an active professor of business administration at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. She founded the Mestermacher “Daycare Center of the Year” award in 2000, the Mestemacher “Manager of the Year” award in 2002, the “Top Father of the Year” award in 2005 and the Mestemacher “Living Together” award in 2017.
In the pictures you can see Prof. Dr. Ulrike Detmers. Ulrike Detmers likes to spend a few days a week with her husband in the family’s own private art museum, an Art Nouveau villa from the 1920s. She likes to wear a silk robe from MyMorgenrock to keep things particularly cozy and stylish.
