The Collective Dream represents the much broader aspirations of humankind that seek a better world
Bréon RydellBréon has always sought to highlight the suffering of others using his work to bring compassion and empathy, and most importantly, to create a powerful, positive narrative — to fight for justice and to help uplift the human spirit.
As a writer, his work has taken him across the globe— he is deeply committed to preserving democracy, and advancing education.
HCA—Visiting Fellow, Bréon Rydell, was appointed the First Expert in Residence for the Academic Semester, 2019/2020, with responsibility, together with Prof. Dietmar Schloss, (Professor of American Literature), for the planning and undertaking of a special undergraduate course on the subject: ‘The American Dream in the 21st Century—Where Are We Now?’
Bréon Rydell with Prof. Dietmar Schloss, teaching at the HCA.
The Course commenced in October 2019 with an in depth consideration of the key historical perspective of the ‘American Dream’ as expressed in the aspirations and achievements of the Puritans who voyaged across the Atlantic from England to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629.
Subsequent Seminars focused on the works of outstanding landmark classics of 20th Century American literature – ‘the Great Gatsby,’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925), and ‘Death of a Salesman,’ by Arthur Miller (1949). In addition, other sessions focused on racial tensions in NYC, between Puerto Ricans and white Americans in ‘West Side Story,’ by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim; Other topics covered were the important cultural contributions made by James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and the Harlem Poets, as well as critical analysis of ‘Angels in America,’ by Tony Kushner, which dealt with the AIDS epidemic and the threats to the survival of the LGBT community.
The Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) is a central research and teaching institution of the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university. Founded in 2003, the HCA’s purpose is to provide and impart the knowledge needed to understand the politics, culture, economy and society of the United States of America. The Center also facilitates a dialogue between academia and the public and contributes to the creation and strengthening of transatlantic networks.
At the HCA, the America-related research of six university faculties and ten disciplines converges, offering a range of expertise that is unique in the academic world.
Since May 2006, the HCA has been based at the Curt and Heidemarie Engelhorn Palais, an elegant 300-year-old baroque townhouse in the centre of Heidelberg.
in 2019, Bréon was invited to join the Advisory Board of the Mahler Foundation. He has been a life-long admirer of Gustav Mahler [1860-1911] as a world renowned conductor and as a visionary composer. Mahler’s untimely death robbed the world of an extraordinarily gifted musical genius.
Francis Bacon (head) by Clare Shenstone
Bréon Rydell has been associated with the Foundation since its inception and is a passionate supporter of the Foundation’s objectives.
Through its scholarships programme, the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation supports research on Francis Bacon and promotes emerging artists.
In 2016, the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation entered into a partnership with the École du Louvre, Paris, to support research on Francis Bacon students. Every four years a scholarship is offered to a postgraduate from the École du Louvre who is undertaking a PhD thesis on this renowned artist.
Clare Shenstone Archive
I conceived this Foundation as a tribute to this singular artist. It is through the eyes of our visitors—whether art historians, friends of the painter or those pursuing a personal interest in Bacon’s œuvre—that I can see, with deep satisfaction, how much our institution has achieved
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