Bernhard Kleinhans

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Bernhard Kleinhans (born April 17, 1926 in Sendenhorst ; † October 22, 2004 there ) was a German sculptor .

Life

After attending school, Kleinhans studied at the Werkkunstschule in Münster with Kurt Schwippert and then at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich with Heinrich Kirchner . In addition, he passed the master's examination as a wood sculptor and sculpture caster.

In 1956, at the age of thirty, he received the "Young Westphalia" art prize. This award made Kleinhans known in Westphalia and beyond. Kleinhans lived and worked in Sendenhorst, next to his house he had his studio, in which he cast and worked on his bronze sculptures himself due to his technical skills.

Kleinhans was married to Maria Beckmann; from the marriage the sons Basil and Gregory emerged. In 1991 Kleinhans became an honorary citizen of his hometown Sendenhorst.

Create

Kleinhans mainly used the lost wax technique for his sculptures , the surface was then largely left untreated by Kleinhans, white-gray stains remain and rivulets enliven them, the sculptures - both his intimate small sculptures and the large sculptures, some of which weigh tons - appear light and "picturesque." ".

The themes of his works are quite different. In addition to biblical and other religious themes, especially in his small sculptures and often in a humorous and profound way, human behavior is depicted. Numerous sculptures are based on ancient legends. His large sculpture "The Deeds of Heracles" (3.50 m high and 7.50 m wide), which is located in Münster near the Aasee, particularly stands out. Kleinhans also created many nudes, including biblical scenes and with a clearly erotic character.

Numerous works by Kleinhans decorate public parks, squares and churches and have been bought by museums.

Works (selection)

Dragon slayer sculpture ( St. Georg , 1990) on the town hall square in Hattingen
The Golgotha ​​cross at the provost church in Brilon

public area:

  • Dülmen: girl figure in front of the vocational school
  • Versmold: memorial
  • Lembeck: Memorial
  • Essen: column with acrobats in front of the old opera
  • Aachen-Kohlscheid: miners well
  • Münster: The deeds of Heracles
  • Münster: Girl making music (at the children's nursing school on Kardinal-von-Galen-Ring)
  • Düsseldorf: David and Abisag (Westdeutsche Landesbank)
  • Oelde: several figures in the city park
  • Bad Waldliesborn: approx. 25 figures in the spa gardens
  • Hameln: The curious one
  • Herne: Shofar angels on the roof of the consecration hall of the St. Laurentius cemetery
  • Sendenhorst: numerous sculptures, including a large 8-meter bronze of Prince-Bishop Bernhard von Galen on a horse riding high
  • Kassel : Maria with the child, in front of the Marienkrankenhaus Kassel
  • Kirchhain : Reading girl, bronze sculpture in Annapark
  • Vechta : Sprengepiel bronze sculpture of a dog with bared teeth, 1981
  • Telgte: King Melchior in front of the RELíGIO museum, Herrenstrasse
  • Versmold : Memorial to the victims of the Second World War.

religious area:

  • Münster: bronze door with reliefs on the south portal of the Überwasserkirche and tabernacle in the Überwasserkirche
  • Frankfurt am Main: St. Francis altar and Easter water fountain in the Liebfrauenkirche
  • Brilon: Crucifixion group in the provost church
  • Lembeck: doors of the parish church
  • Liesborn: St. Michael in the parish church

Choir design of the parish churches in Rheine, Marl, Duisburg-Homberg, Vorhelm, Sendenhorst

literature

  • Catalog for the exhibition Museum Abtei Liesborn 1976
  • Ulrich Gehre : Art Paths: Bernhard Kleinhans - A Friend's Gift . Verlag E. Holterdorf, Oelde (undated)
  • Christiane Seitz-Dahlkamp: Nudes from Bernhard Kleinhan's catalog accompanying the exhibition in Sendenhorst 2001 .
  • Ursula Uber: Free sculptures in Münster . Fahle 1977 pp. 46, 53, 67, 8a, 115, 131.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Herta Hesse-Frielinghaus on the occasion of an exhibition opening in Hagen, quoted in the catalog for the exhibition in Liesborn 1976
  2. ↑ Franz Hellbernd: truth and fiction to Sprengepiel, in: Contributions to the history of the town of Vechta, published by the town of Vechta, Volume III, Part 2, Vechta 1981, pp 222-229.

Web links

Commons : Bernhard Kleinhans  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Kleinhans, Bernhard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH April 17, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Sendenhorst
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 2004
Place of death Sendenhorst