The Mural

View on your way to sit down!

Have you ever been inside the Palace and noticed the large painting on the way to your seat? This was painted during the 1945 restoration by A. A. Baumgart. According to a Minneapolis Star article, Mr. Baumgart was an aspiring Russian artist that moved to Minneapolis. It would be interesting to find out how Herman or Maude came to hire him to work in Luverne! The Art Deco design elements are storied to come from Maude Jochims, who spent some time in Hollywood and came back with renovation ideas for the Palace. The designer for the 1945 restoration at the Palace was Harold Larsen & Son, Inc. from Minneapolis. If you visit the Palace Theatre today, take a look around and enjoy these unique designs! #palacememories #artdeco #baumgart #aabaumgart #artnoveau

Apparently, Munich was the center of the Jugendstil (Youth Style) art movement, which was the German counterpart to Art Nouveau. It uses floral motifs influenced by Art Nouveau and Japanese art (I feel the Palace mural definitely has some Japanese influence). The movement lasted from mid-1890s to the start of WWI, which is when Mr Baumgart likely attended the art institute there. The later Jugendstil style combined floral with geometric lines (hence the blending of the art deco and art nouveau look).