Wilhelm Ostwald’s research covered very different fields of science and society. He is seen as one of the founders of physics chemistry, dealing with scientific organization, theory and history, natural philosophy, world languages as well as a science-based color theory. Many of his insights have found great popularity in practice-related areas, some have also met with resistance. The influence of his colour studies can be seen from the textile industry and medicine to the garden sector. Many other topics are still represented in interdisciplinary research approaches.

For many years a multi-perspective network of all relevant areas of Ostwald research has been expanding. Researchers from Germany and abroad use the Wilhelm Ostwald Archive here in Großbothen as well as the Archive of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. The topics cover the cross-sectional area of the natural sciences and humanities.

For example, Wilhelm Ostwald’s colour system is currently the subject of the joint research project FARBAKS (Colour as an Actor and storage) under direction of Professor Christoph Herm at HfBK Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.

The Wilhelm Ostwald Museum loaned several items to the exhibition held at Kunsthal KAdE Amersfoort celebrating the centenary of the De Stijl movement in the Netherlands.

The Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Leipzig honored Wilhelm Ostwald in 2019 in a comprehensive catalogue on the centenary of the Bauhaus. We welcome the many new projects devoted to the critical appreciation Wilhelm Ostwald’s work.

We would also be delighted to support your research projects in our archive, too.

Feel free to contact us.