Bert Gerresheim

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Bert Gerresheim (2019)
Sculpture's mark by Bert Gerresheim

Bert Gerresheim (born October 8, 1935 in Düsseldorf ) is a German sculptor , graphic artist and educator . The main focus of his artistic work are sculptures made of bronze. The artist lives and works in Düsseldorf.

Life

Bert Gerresheim was born in Düsseldorf in 1935. From 1956 to 1960 he studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy with Otto Pankok , together with Günther Uecker and Germán Becerra . From 1960 he studied art history, archeology and German at the University of Cologne. In 1963 he passed the state examination for artistic teaching. In 1967 he received a one-year scholarship from the Villa Massimo in Rome. Since 1974 he has stayed at the Villa Romana in Florence for several months . In addition to his artistic work, which until 1970 consisted mainly of drawings, Bert Gerresheim was the director of studies at the Düsseldorf Lessing-Gymnasium as a German and art teacher until 1990. The artist is a member of the Association of Düsseldorf Artists and has been a member of the secular Franciscan order since 1976 .

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Bert Gerresheim was almost exclusively active in drawing until 1970, when he also turned to bronze sculpture. Sculpture has predominated since 1981, not least as a result of his success with the Heine monument (1981 Schwanenmarkt, Düsseldorf) and the " Kolbe Cross " (1982 Rochus Church, Düsseldorf). Originally, Gerresheim's oeuvre was based on Tachism and Surrealism , and its ambiguity and versatility made it socially critical. As a result, the works became increasingly realistic, influenced by the stays in Italy, based on Michelangelo , Bernini or da Vinci . The figures of the sculptures themselves are reminiscent of Auguste Rodin in style . The ambiguity and surrealism from earlier periods have remained and are often created by a tricking technique that artistically creates cracks, breaks and displacements and enables new ways of looking at things . Gerresheim also works individual body parts in his works in the style of medieval arm reliquaries, objects, from Christian iconography to mundane everyday life, such as B. the Cologne "Edith Stein Monument" (1999) or Düsseldorf " Monument to the City Elevation " (1988). Both the characters and the world in which they find themselves often appear torn and suffering on closer inspection.

  • Heine Monument , Düsseldorf 1981

  • City survey monument in Düsseldorf, erected in 1988 on the occasion of the 700th anniversary

  • Christ ("Kolbe-Kreuz") 1982, Rochuskirche , Düsseldorf

  • Josef Monument, Düsseldorf-Oberbilk 1990

  • Edith Stein Monument, Cologne 1999

  • Way of the Cross in the Bielefeld Heilig-Geist-Kirche , 5th station: "Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross".

  • "The valley of the Wupper" on the Johannes-Rau-Platz in Wuppertal

  • Friedrich von Spee, Witches Tower in Rüthen

  • The bridge saint Johannes von Nepomuk at the Oberkassel Bridge in Düsseldorf bears the features of the Polish priest Jerzy Popiełuszko .

  • " Mother Ey" (2017)

  • Bronze relief "The returning Christ" (Kevelaerer Apocalypse). Created because the new, very large organ covered the windows in the front.

As a devout Christian and Catholic, Gerresheim primarily deals with Christian issues. His passion scenes take up the sufferings of war and persecution, creating a direct connection between the sufferings of Christ and the modern world. He made crosses and exhibits for numerous churches. More than 50 sculptures by Bert Gerresheim can be found in Kevelaer . In the place of pilgrimage he designed three portals of the Marienbasilika . On the occasion of the XX. On behalf of the then Archbishop of Cologne Joachim Meisner , the artist made the gift for the Pope , a fist-sized, gilded bronze sculpture of the Three Kings .

Gerresheim created the honorary gift of the Düsseldorf Heinrich-Heine Society , the book object Die Schere der Zensur made of bronze.

Public works (excerpt)

Awards

  • 1965: Cornelius Prize (advancement award)
  • 2018: Jan-Wellem-Ring of the city of Düsseldorf

literature

  • Werner Alberg (Hrsg.): Artist life in Düsseldorf. Grupello Verlag, Düsseldorf 1991, ISBN 3-928234-02-1 .
  • Elias H. Füllenbach: Auschwitz as a crisis in Christian theology. To the Edith Stein monument by Bert Gerresheim in Cologne . In: Edith Stein Jahrbuch 10 (2004), pp. 175–192.
  • Michael Kerst: Bert Gerresheim. A sculptor's life. Grupello, Düsseldorf 2017, ISBN 978-3-89978-252-3 (with a photo report by Uwe Schaffmeister).
  • Helga Meister: The Düsseldorf art scene. Verlag Aurel Bongers KG, Recklinghausen 1979, ISBN 3-7647-0319-9 .
  • Simone Pohlandt: Confrontation and provocation. The Heinrich Heine monuments by Bert Gerresheim. Grupello, Düsseldorf 2016, ISBN 978-3-89978-242-4 .
  • “Foolishness is just a worldview” . Rheinische Post from December 24, 2007, issue D-L2, page B2, interview with Bert Gerresheim.
  • Werner Roemer: Visionary Realism. Bert Gerresheim. Drawings - sculptures - monuments. Bernardus-Verlag, Aachen 2009, ISBN 978-3-8107-9301-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Website Johannes-von-Nepomuk-Statue in the portal hilarius-gilges.de , accessed on June 20, 2013
  2. ↑ Bert Gerresheim: The "bridge saint" Johannes von Nepomuk, 1985  in the German Digital Library
  3. ↑ Barbara Schock-Werner : 50th cathedral report . From October 2008 to September 2009. 3.3 Memorial plaque for World Youth Day, p. 39 ( PDF download [accessed September 6, 2010]).
  4. ↑ PR online on October 3rd, 2012: "Karl Arnold has shaped the history of NRW"
  5. ^ Jan Wellem Ring for Bert Gerresheim. Website of the city of Düsseldorf, October 8, 2018, accessed on October 8, 2016 .

Web links

Commons : Bert Gerresheim  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Gerresheim, Bert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German sculptor, graphic artist and educator
DATE OF BIRTH October 8, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Dusseldorf