Harald Metzkes

Harald Metzkes (born January 23, 1929 in Bautzen ) is a German painter .

Life

Born the son of a doctor, he grew up in Bautzen. In 1945 he was still doing military service. In 1945/1946 he received his Abitur at the Bautzen High School and began his first painting studies. In 1946 the first studies took place under the direction of the watercolorist Alfred Herzog . From 1947 to 1949 he did an apprenticeship as a stonemason with the Bautzen sculptor Max Rothe . He then studied painting from 1949 to 1953 at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts under Wilhelm Lachnit and Rudolf Bergander . Later (1955–1958) he was a master student of Otto Nagel at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. In 1957 he toured China .

From 1959 he worked as a freelance artist in East Berlin (the "Cézannist" from Prenzlauer Berg ). The first solo exhibition took place in Berlin in 1963. In 1976 he received the Käthe Kollwitz Prize of the Academy of Arts of the German Democratic Republic and the banner of work . The following year the exhibition Harald Metzkes - Pictures from Twenty Years took place in the Nationalgalerie Berlin ; he received the GDR national prize for illustration and graphics.

Metzkes took part in the 1984 Venice Biennale and in 2003 in the exhibition "Art in the GDR" in the National Gallery in Berlin. 2006 was the exhibition “Balance of the Painter” at Gottorf Castle , Schleswig (museum retrospective).

Harald Metzkes has lived in the Wegendorf district of Altlandsberg near Berlin since the 1990s . He was married to the textile artist Elrid Metzkes , who died on November 20, 2014. The marriage resulted in three children: one son is the sculptor Robert Metzkes , the daughter Verena Hann-Metzkes, sculptor, and son Walter.

Harald Metzkes is one of the founders of the “Berlin Painting School” around Manfred Böttcher , Hans Vent , Lothar Böhme , Christa Böhme , Konrad Knebel , Wolfgang Leber , Klaus Schröder, Brigitte Handschick and Hans Brosch. In a broader sense, the sculptors Werner Stötzer , Wieland Förster , Friedrich B. Henkel , Rolf Händler, Ursula Wendorff-Weidt and Dieter Goltzsche are also included.

Harald Metzkes never allowed himself to be absorbed by the “ socialist realism ” of GDR art politics. Today he is recognized as one of the greatest German artistic personalities. Metzkes celebrated his 90th birthday on January 23, 2019 and was celebrated with several art exhibitions.

"Metzkes' sensual realism offers a" feast for the eye "in its best pieces."

- Lothar Lang

Awards

• 1976 Käthe Kollwitz Prize from the Berlin Academy of the Arts
• 1977 National Prize of the GDR for illustration and graphics
• 2007 Hannah Höch Prize from the State of Berlin
• 2012 Honorary Prize from the Prime Minister of Brandenburg

Works

• Dimitrov Bridge , 1953
• Removal of the six-armed goddess , 1956
• Polytechnic lessons , 1959 (on behalf of the GDR Cultural Fund)
• Great-grandfather makes music , 1967
• Lovers , 1974
• Brandenburg Gate , 1978
• Resurrection , 1984
• Backdrop , 1986
• Two banks , 1992
• The breakfast (plastic), 1994
• The doll , 1998
• Apple picker , 1999
• Allodri , 2004
• Mikado , 2005
• Change of stilts , 2007
• Demolition of the bridge , 2009

Portfolio editions (selection)

• 2009: Hänschen in the blueberry forest. A Swedish fairy tale by Elsa Beskow . Portfolio with eight color woodcuts and six woodcuts. 13. Printed by the Berlin graphic press

Solo exhibitions

• 1963 Harald Metzkes , Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin
• 1967 Harald Metzkes , solo exhibition in the Historical Museum Magdeburg
• 1971 Harald Metzkes , paintings and graphic works for Moliere "Doctor against Will", stage design and costumes, Volksbühne Berlin
• 1974 Harald Metzkes , Leipziger Galerie am Sachsenplatz with Dieter Goltzsche and Joachim John
• 1978 Harald Metzkes , pictures from 20 years, National Gallery, Berlin
• 1978 Harald Metzkes , Galerie Kühl , Dresden
• 1981 Harald Metzkes , Galerie Unter den Linden of the State Art Trade of the GDR
• 1982 Harald Metzkes , Galerie Brusberg, Hanover
• 1982 Harald Metzkes , Burgk State Museum
• 1984 Harald Metzkes , Venice Biennale
• 1984 Harald Metzkes , Dresdner Galerie, Dresden
• 1984 Harald Metzkes , Leipzig gallery on Sachsenplatz
• 1986 Harald Metzkes , Galerie De Maere, Brussels and Paris
• 1988 Harald Metzkes , Venice Biennale
• 1988 Harald Metzkes , Göttingen Municipal Museum
• 1988 Harald Metzkes , Zeitvergleich `88, Berlin-West
• 1989 Harald Metzkes , retrospective, Akademie der Künste, Berlin
• 1990 Harald Metzkes , retrospective, Staatliche Kunsthalle , Berlin
• 1992 Harald Metzkes , personal exhibition, Galerie Brusberg, Berlin
• 1994 Harald Metzkes , Harald Metzkes, MoMa New York
• 1997 Harald MetzKes , Germany Pictures , Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin
• 1997 Harald Metzkes , Ostwind, GrundkreditBank art forum, Berlin
• 1999 Harald Metzkes , Laureatus, Galerie Brusberg, Berlin
• 1999 Harald Metzkes , pictures from 50 years, retrospective in the city museum of Bautzen
• 2001 Harald Metzkes , still life (with Fernando Botero)
• 2004 Harald Metzkes , Art in the GDR, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
• 2005 Harald Metzkes , Brandenburg Triangle, Brusberg Gallery, Berlin
• 2006 Harald Metzkes , balance sheet of a painter, Gottorf Castle, Schleswig
• 2006 Harald Metzkes , The Second Look. Painting, Art Association "Talstrasse" , Halle / Saale
• 2007 Harald Metzkes , black face and white face, Deutsche Bank, Luxembourg
• 2007 Harald Metzkes , Ephraim Palais in Berlin
• 2008 Harald Metzkes , Kunsthaus Apolda
• 2009 Harald Metzkes , 2009, Benz, Usedom
• 2009 Harald Metzkes , City Museum Zweibrücken in cooperation with the Mainz Institute for Art History
• 2009 Harald Metzkes , Welttheater Weltenbühnen (on the artist's 80th birthday), Bautzen City Museum
• 2010 Harald Metzkes , H. with Elrid and Robert Metzkes Dreiklang, Kunstverein Rostock
• 2010 Harald Metzkes , Olaf Gulbransson Museum , Tegernsee
• 2010 Harald Metzkes , Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater, Schwerin
• 2010 Harald Metzkes , Galerie Weise, Chemnitz
• 2011 Harald Metzkes , 20 years Galerie Leo Coppi, Berlin
• 2012 Elrid Metzkes , homage to H., Galerie Coppi, Berlin
• 2012 Harald Metzkes , Works, Brandel Gallery, Berlin
• 2013 Harald Metzkes , Sonorous names - Harald Metzkes, Galerie Bachmann, Berlin
• 2013 Harald Metzkes , IMPULSE, Harald and Elrid Metzkes in the town hall of Rüdersdorf near Berlin
• 2014 Harald Metzkes , RETROSPEKTIVE, Harald Metzkes on his 85th birthday, Leonhardi-Museum , Dresden
• 2014 Harald Metzkes , painting from 1954 to 2013, for his 85th birthday, GALERIE LEO.COPPI, Berlin
• 2014 Harald Metzkes , FRAUENBILD - painting, Galerie Pankow, Berlin
• 2014 Harald Metzkes , demolish BRIDGE - build BRIDGES, GALLERY of Sparkasse MOL, Strausberg
• 2014 Harald Metzkes , HARALD METZKES & family, municipal museum, gallery & art collection Eisenhüttenstadt-Fürstenberg / Oder
• 2014 Harald Metzkes , Nature and Eye, Pictures 1956–2014, Städtisches Museum der Stadt Oldenburg
• 2015 Harald Metzkes , In Memorian Elrid Metzkes and I, Galerie LeoCoppi, Berlin
• 2015 Harald Metzkes , Weltenbilder, Galerie Klinger, Radeberg
• 2018 - 2019 Harald Metzkes. An artistic cabinet for the 90th Art Forum Foundation of the Berliner Volksbank , Berlin
• 2019 Harald Metzkes , Werkschau-Harald Metzkes for the 90th, Old Town Hall Marzahn, Berlin

Participation in exhibitions

• 2011/12 Heaven divided. 1945–1968. The collection , Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
• 2016 Art in Europe 1945 - 1968 Facing the Future , BOZAR Brussels
• 2016 Art in Europe 1945 - 1968 Facing the Future , ZKM Karlsruhe
• 2017 Art in Europe 1945 - 1968 Facing the Future , Pushkin Museum, Moscow

Book illustrations

• Rumpelstiltskin - a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm , illustrated by Harald Metzkes, Kinderbuchverlag Berlin, 1970
• Ulrich Plenzdorf, The new sorrows of young W. , with 9 woodcuts by Harald Metzkes, Verlag Faber & Faber , 1996.
• 10 poets, there is snow in the sky , with 11 original lithographs by Harald Metzkes, Edition Manfred Schmidt
• Elsa, Beskow, Hänschen in the blueberry forest , with 8 woodcuts in color and 6 woodcuts, Berlin graphic press

Literary works

• Me and Mr. H. Writings, speeches, records, prose. Edited by Jörg Makarinus. Verlag der Kunst, Amsterdam / Dresden 2000, ISBN 90-5705-172-9
• Phoenix and turtle , novel. Written in 1958. First published in Wegendorf 2016
• Black eyes , novel. Written around 1960. First published in Wegendorf 2018, ISBN 978-3-9819637-2-4

Literature, exhibition catalogs

• Harald Metzkes, pictures from 20 years, paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints. State Museums, Berlin 1977 (exhibition catalog)
• Harald Metzke's “Laureatus”, pictures 1956–1999. Edition Brusberg, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-87972-100-9 ( Brusberg documents. 38) (exhibition catalog)

• Harald Metzkes, the second look. Painting. Art association “Talstrasse”, Halle / Saale 2006, ISBN 978-3-932962-29-5 (exhibition catalog)
• Harald Metzkes, balance sheet of the painter . Published by Herwig Guratzsch, Kerber, Bielefeld 2006, ISBN 978-3-938025-89-5 (exhibition catalog)
• Harald Metzkes, line of pictures . Kunsthaus Apolda Avantgarde, Apolda 2008 (exhibition catalog)
• World theater world stages. Harald Metzkes to the 80th Passage-Verlag, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-938543-69-6 (exhibition catalog)
• The pictures of the year. Edited by Jörg Makarinus, Kerber, Bielefeld / Leipzig / Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86678-516-8
• Anke Scharnhorst:  Metzkes, Harald . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .
• Harald and Elrid Metzkes: “BRÜCKEabreissen - BRÜCKENbuild”, paintings and carpets. GALLERY der Sparkasse Strausberg, 2014, publisher: Michael Wiedemann, OspeART, Berlin (exhibition catalog)
• Harald Metzkes. A musical cabinet for the 90th Stiftung Kunstforum der Berliner Volksbank, Berlin 2018 (exhibition catalog)

Movie

• Harald Metzkes, director: Reiner E. Moritz , documentation 51 min., Arthaus Musik GmbH 2009 (1991), ISBN 978-3-941311-89-3

literature

• Ingeborg Ruthe: Harlequin painting balance . In: Berliner Zeitung , November 1, 2007; for the award of the Hannah Höch Prize

Web links

• Literature by and about Harald Metzkes in the catalog of the German National Library
• Official website of Harald Metzkes
• Catalog for the exhibition in Luxembourg from April 26th - July 15, 2007 (PDF; 4.5 MB)
• Works by Harald Metzkes for Edition Hiddensee
• Harald Metzkes on kunstaspekte.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ portfolios of the Berlin graphic press. Galerie der Berliner Graphikpresse, accessed on August 5, 2020 .