Alexander Zschokke

Zschokke family grave, cemetery am Hörnli Basel

Alexander Zschokke [´tscho.k (e)] (born November 25, 1894 in Basel ; † August 17, 1981 ibid) was a Swiss sculptor .

Life

Alexander Zschokke was the great-grandson of the writer Heinrich Zschokke . He spent his youth in Basel until he moved to Munich in 1913 to study architecture. There he made friends with the painter Niklaus Stoecklin . He returned to Switzerland in 1914 for the recruit school and subsequent active service . During his official leave, Zschokke took painting lessons with Albert Müller , Niklaus Stoecklin and Fritz Baumann from Heinrich Müller (1885–1960) and joined the Basel artist group New Life . From 1915 to 1918 he worked as a painter in Basel, Geneva and Zurich during his military vacation weeks. In Zurich he came into contact with the Dadaists living there and met Alexej von Jawlensky in Ascona . In 1919 he was invited to Berlin and had contact with the artist group " Die Brücke ". In Berlin he switched to studying sculpture and rented a studio from the sculptor Ludwig Thormaehlen . There he made friends with, among others, Stefan George and the artist Martin Christ (1900–1977). This was followed by trips to Italy , Greece and Paris . Zschokke was a member of the German Association of Artists . In 1922 he exhibited his works in Magdeburg .

From 1931 to 1937 he headed a sculpture class at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf , where he was made an honorary member on July 12, 1937. Maria Fuss , Hans Kindermann and Kurt Zimmermann were Zschokke's master students. As he was expelled from his teaching post at the art academy by the National Socialists in the same year, he moved back to Basel.

For the spa fountain in Rheinfelden , Zschokke created a fountain sculpture of St. Mary Magdalene in 1934 , which was installed in the drinking facility at that time. Walter von Ruckteschell created the second fountain sculpture of St. Francis . Both sculptures are now in the entrance hall of the Kurbrunnen building. Victor Surbek created the large mural Four Seasons for the pump room .

Many of Zschokke's works can be seen in public spaces in Basel. Some of Zschokke's works can be found in the Hörnli cemetery .

His first major commission, the three ages fountain sculpture , was received from the cantonal Basel building department and was completed in 1942. In 1955 Zschokke received the Art Prize of the City of Basel .

Zschokke became known for his portrait sculptures, which varied in ancient modes, including a series of portrait heads by Expressionist artists created in the 1930s ( Heinrich Campendonk , Erich Heckel , Paul Klee , Otto Mueller , Christian Rohlfs ). A whole cycle of head studies is dedicated to the poet Stefan George, who is admired by Zschokke and who also formed the model for the seated figure on the age fountain. Zschokke also portrayed the busts of famous personalities such as Ludwig Justi , Friedrich Nietzsche and Jakob Wackernagel . Zschokke also created the monument for Albert Schweitzer in Schaffhausen in 1965 .

In 1955 Zschokke created the memorial fountain / Wettstein fountain for Johann Rudolf Wettstein. In addition to Willi Hege , Peter Moilliet , Jakob Probst , Luis Leon Weber , Heinz Fiorese , Adolf Weisskopf and he was invited to a competition of the Kunstkredit Basel-Stadt . Like many other works by Zschokke, this fountain sculpture emerged as the winner.

Zschokke was married to the photographer Claire Roessiger. Roessiger photographed Zschokke's works. They had a daughter together. Her grave is in the Hörnli cemetery.

In 2010, on the initiative of Marc de Puechredon, the Zschokke family opened the “Alexander Zschokke Sculpture Garden” in Gellert , Basel .

Works (selection)

• 

  Friedrich Nietzsche bust (1921)
  Nietzsche bust, public art collections (Basel)
• Konrad Adenauer head portrait, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum ( Cologne )
• Ernst Kantorowicz , bronze portrait
• 1937: Mausoleum of the Klöckner family , Duisburg cemetery
• 1937: Saul, David and Hund , Henric Petri-Strasse, Basel and in Trasadingen , Dorfstrasse, in front of the former “Haumesser” inn; based on Max Beckmann: The King
• 1937: fisherman and sailor (lost). two of twelve sculptures from the group Die Ständischen for the Reich Exhibition Schaffendes Volk in Nordpark Düsseldorf
• 1937–1942: Three ages , sculpture of a fountain or Zschokke fountain , Kunstmuseum Basel
• 1938: Facade sculpture, Help , Leonhardsgraben 38, Basel
• 1938: Prince Charming , fountain sculpture, Gottfried Keller school house, Basel
• 1952: Fährimann, Aarau Town Hall
• 1952: Mother and child , sculpture relief, height 300 cm, entrance UBS, St. Alban-Graben, Basel
• 1954: Christopherus, Basel Transport Company
• 1958: Chiron, fountain sculpture, canton school, Chur
• 1961: Grape harvest , facade relief, Riehen parish hall
• 1962: Rudolf Riggenbach sculpture in the Kleines Klingental Museum , Basel
• 1967: Artists on the balance beam , Robersten school building, Rheinfelden

• 

  Sculpture, cemetery on the Hörnli

• 

  Saul and David with dog, 1949, Basel

• 

  Pumski fountain, 1951, Basel

• 

  Mother and Child, 1952

• 

  Muul Halte, Brunnen, 1952, Gellert School House, Basel

• 

  Help , 1938

• 

  Four lantern graves, 1953, Hörnli cemetery

• 

  Paul Sacher , 1971

literature

• Education Department Basel-Stadt. Alexander Zschokke. In: Art for Basel: 75 years of art credit Basel-Stadt. Art in public space. Schwabe Verlag, Basel 1974, ISBN 3-7965-0968-1 .
• Michael Stettler (ed.), The sculptor Alexander Zschokke. AZ press, Aarau 1944.
• Ulrich Christoffel: Alexander Zschokke. Publishing house F. Bruckmann, Munich 1957.
• Alexander Zschokke, sculpture catalog 1921–1974. (520 numbers). Private print, Basel 1974.
• Michael Stettler (Ed.): Portraits of Stefan Georges by Alexander Zschokke. Verlag Helmut Küpper formerly Georg Bondi, Düsseldorf / Munich 1974.
• Karl Schefold: image and inimage. To Zschokke's portraits of Stefan Georges. In: New contributions to George research, (3), Bingen 1978.
• Martin A. Christ, Karl Schefold: The sculptor Alexander Zschokke, 25. XI 1894 - 17. VIII. 1981. Private printing Basel n.d. (1981).
• Alexander Zschokke memorial exhibition 1894–1981. Catalog. Riehen 1982.
• Will Grohmann : Zschokke, Alexander . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of fine artists from antiquity to the present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 36 : Wilhelmy-Zyzywi . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1947, p. 564 .
• Zschokke, Alexander . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General Lexicon of Fine Artists of the XX. Century. tape 5 : V-Z. Supplements: A-G . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1961, p. 215-216 .
• Artist in the workshop-Alexander Zschokke . In: Architektur und Kunst, Vol. 31, Issue 10, 1944, pp. 305–308 .

Web links

Commons : Alexander Zschokke  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website Alexander Zschokke
• Stephan E. Hauser: Zschokke Alexander. In: Sikart
• Stephan E. Hauser: Zschokke, Alexander. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Alexander Zschokke's estate in the Basel University Library
• Fountain by Alexander Zschokke in the Basler Brunnenführer
• Alexander Zschokke In: Art Credit Collection
• Alexander Zschokke In: E-Periodica

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Full members of the German Association of Artists since it was founded in 1903 . In: kuenstlerbund.de. Retrieved April 2, 2020 . 
2. ^ Schweizerische Bauzeitung, 1934: Kurbrunnenanlage in Rheinfelden. Retrieved October 16, 2019 . 
3. ^ Fricktaler Museum: Fountain sculpture, wall painting for the drinking hall of the spa fountain. Retrieved October 16, 2019 . 
4. ^ David Marc Hoffmann: Works in public space in the city map of Basel. Retrieved May 29, 2019 . 
5. ↑ according to the inscription on the plaque attached to the edge of the fountain
6. ↑ G. Oeri, Architecture and Art: Three Age Fountains. Retrieved October 21, 2019 . 
7. ^ Well guide: Three age wells. Retrieved May 29, 2019 . 
8. ^ Fountain guide: Wettstein fountain. Retrieved May 29, 2019 . 
9. ↑ Alexander Zschokke: Sculpture Garden. Retrieved May 29, 2019 . 
10. ↑ s. Catalog of the Deutscher Künstlerbund Cologne 1929. May – September 1929 in the State House. M. DuMont Schauberg, Cologne 1929, p. 33.
11. ↑ The mausoleum of the Klöckner family ( Memento from November 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF)
12. ↑ Schaffhauser AZ (each p. 22): https://www.shaz.ch/download/Ausgabe_31_04._August_2.pdf and https://www.shaz.ch/download/Ausgabe_32_11._August_3.pdf
13. ↑ Photo: Der Fischer, with and by Alexander Zschokke
14. ↑ Photo: The Sailor, by Alexander Zschokke
15. ↑ Aarauer Neujahrsblätter: Fährimann, Aarau Town Hall. Retrieved October 21, 2019 .