But art and his Hamburg remained his starting point and destination, wherever his rise took him. From 1886 until his death, Alfred Lichtwark was the director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle and a significant figure in the German, and particularly the Hamburg, art world. As a co-founder of art education, his lifelong goal was to bring contemporary art closer to the public. Lichtwark was an advocate of realism and a well-known supporter of Hamburg art and its creatives. Thanks to his enthusiasm, the Hamburger Kunsthalle still houses a large collection of works by Hamburg and other artists today. Erich Marcks (1861-1938) was a professor of history and a friend of Alfred Lichtwark. He taught at various universities and wrote this obituary for Lichtwark and his life shortly after his death.