Christian Neuper (sculptor)

Christian Neuper (* 1876 in Weißenstadt im Fichtelgebirge ; † 1950 ) was a German sculptor .

Life and accomplishments

Bust of the sculptor Christian Neuper in the cemetery in Weißenstadt

Christian Neuper was the son of a stonemason . The death of his father clouded the youth of the then eight-year-old boy, who was artistically and technically gifted. He began his apprenticeship at the age of 13 at the Ackermann granite grinding shop in Weißenstadt . At the age of 16 he moved to Roth am Sand near Nuremberg to refine his craft. His first job was the Schneider sculpture in Nuremberg. At the age of 19 he moved to Berlin and probably worked as an artistic-technical assistant. 1899 Neuper worked in Carrara (Italy) in the marble processing one, supervised by Professor Fausto Bigi. This was followed by studying modeling technology at the Accademia belli arti under Professor Nicoli . In 1904 Neuper moved to Newcastle . In addition to organizing a small exhibition in Newcastle, he independently carried out all municipal commissioned work. In northern England he carried out commissioned work for the decoration and cladding of buildings. During the war years 1914-1919 he lived as a civil intern on the Isle of Man . During this time he was busy with larger works and smaller plaques and created a large number of portrait plaques. In February 1919 he returned home to Weißenstadt and tried again to become self-employed. In 1920 Neuper was head of a granite sculpture school in Wunsiedel . However, during the inflationary period, the school was closed again. In the following years he received only a few orders. In 1923 he founded his own granite sculptor's workshop and carried out work on warriors and tombs , memorial plaques, portraits and figurative works in schools. He received general recognition as a specialist in the artistic processing of hard stone and organized numerous exhibitions, including in Berlin, Munich, Bamberg, Coburg, Hof and Bayreuth.

Works

• Bismarck bust made of granite (1928) in the Bismarck tower of the city of Hof
• War memorial of the city of Weißenstadt, 1928
• Mitterteich war memorial (1933)
• 3 graces of Genova in marble
• Several portraits in stone of public figures during their stay in England
• Self-portrait in hard stone

Neuper has received awards for his works in Germany, Great Britain and Italy .

literature

The artist wrote a handwritten short biography about his life and work for the Paris magazine La Revue Moderne including pictures. From a marginal note by Neuper it can be seen that, despite his request, no copy of the published article was made available to him and the images sent were not returned.

swell

1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated July 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Bismarck tower in courtyard  
2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated October 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Home care in the district of Wunsiedel - history of the city of Weißenstadt  

• Weissenstadt City Archives : Copy of the city to a self-biography of Neuper for the Parisian magazine “La Revue Moderne” in 1929.
• Stadtarchiv Mitterteich : Sources on Neuper's work, especially in the creation and installation of the Mitterteich war memorial; National Socialist article about Neuper's alleged request to create a “hero monument” with the Mitterteich war memorial.
• See also: Bismarcktürme.de