Large two forms
Large Two Forms is a bronze sculpture by the sculptor Henry Moore in Bonn , which has been in front of the former Federal Chancellery ( Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development ) since 1979 . It stands as a monument under monument protection .
history
The sculpture is based on two small marble figures ( Two forms ) that Henry Moore had created in 1966, as well as a plaster model that formed the basis for a work model of red travertine marble that is almost one meter high . A plastic version was created in its original size as well as fiberglass frames in 1969 and 1971 . In addition to the artist's copy ( No. 0/4 ), four casts were made of the final sculpture, two of which became the property of the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Neuberger Museum of Art in New York , and another was in the possession of the Henry Moore Foundation remained and was erected in Kensington Gardens , London in 1978 on the occasion of Moore's 80th birthday .
An open competition was announced in 1972 for the artistic design of the newly built Federal Chancellery, and one of the winners was Hans Dieter Bohnet with his sculpture Integration 1976 (now at Langen Eugen ), which was intended for the outdoor area . At the instigation of Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt , it was removed from this place. Instead, as part of a redesign of the forecourt that had become necessary due to technical and structural deficiencies, Schmidt advocated the installation of the work of art by his close friend Henry Moore. The specimen previously in London ( No. 4/4 ), cast by the art foundry Hermann Noack , was transferred to Bonn on August 28, 1979, initially on loan . The official handover took place in the presence of Schmidt and Moore on September 19, 1979. In 1981 the Federal Republic of Germany acquired the work of art following a resolution by the Bundestag (approval by the budget committee on February 12) for DM 650,000 against the votes of the parliamentary opposition.
In 1992 the sculpture was cleaned, repaired, patinated and coated with acrylic resin by the Noack art foundry in Berlin . Until the relocation of the seat of government to Berlin (1999) it was - as a frame for the Federal Chancellery - one of the sculptures most shown on television in Germany in the context of political reporting. It was entered in the monuments list of the city of Bonn on December 2, 1999.
“For me, this work of art on the new green of the forecourt is a sign of life, a symbol of human connection, also an expression of humanity. And I think this effect is shared with the whole square. "
description
The sculpture is located on a small hill opposite the entrance of the former Federal Chancellery on a floor made of reddish brick . It measures 365 × 610 × 400 cm and consists of two biomorphic shapes with oval openings that are related to one another: one convex and one concave. The bronze takes on different color appearances depending on the brightness, from gold to deep brown. The surface is protected against darkening with a coating of clear varnish.
reception
On the question of whether sculpture has a political function, there are different opinions on the part of art history . While the art critic Walter Grasskamp denies it, with a view to the imputed distance from the state of the sculptor Moore and his works, the art historian Silke Wenk sees the "strong visual accent against the dark monotony of the building's facades" as a mark of state power. In tabloid newspapers , particular emphasis was placed on the erotic effect evoked by the round shapes of the sculpture.
“The sculpture“ Large Two Forms ”can be read as a metaphor of private relationships, as an image of elementary fascinations and horrors in modern relationships between the sexes; But it is also decipherable as a metaphor for experiences with the modern state, which as a welfare state promises to cover everything - and threatens. "
literature
- Silke Wenk: Henry Moore Large Two Forms: An Allegory of the Modern Welfare State . Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 978-3596121373 .
- Gabriele Zabel-Zottmann: Sculptures and objects in the public space of the federal capital Bonn - installed from 1970 to 1991 . Dissertation, Bonn 2012, part 2, pp. 32–34. ( online PDF ; 5.8 MB)
- Merle Ziegler: Governing Cybernetic. Architecture of the Bonn Federal Chancellery 1969–1976 (= Commission for the History of Parliamentarism and Political Parties : Contributions to the History of Parliamentarism and Political Parties , Volume 172; Series Parliament and Public , Volume 6), Droste Verlag, Düsseldorf 2017, ISBN 978- 3-7700-5331-5 , pp. 331-340. [not yet evaluated for this article]
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ List of monuments of the city of Bonn (as of March 15, 2019), p. 3, number A 3550
- ↑ a b c d e f Silke Wenk: Henry Moore Large Two Forms: An allegory of the modern welfare state
- ^ Dorothy M. Kosinski, Julian Andrews, Dallas Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: Henry Moore, Sculpting the 20th Century , Yale University Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0300089929 , p. 26.
- ↑ Gabriele Zabel-Zottmann: Sculptures and objects in the public space of the federal capital Bonn. Compiled from 1970 to 1991. Dissertation, Bonn 2012, p. 62. ( online (PDF file; 6.01 MB))
- ↑ The information is taken from the legally binding list of monuments of the city of Bonn. It is managed by the Lower Monument Authority , from which the entries for the individual monuments can be obtained for a fee.
- ^ Silke Wenk: Henry Moore Large Two Forms: An Allegory of the Modern Welfare State . P. 81.
- ↑ Hans-Peter Riese: Art import for the chancellor. A large sculpture by Henry Moore for the new chancellery forecourt . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , September 14, 1979
- ^ Silke Wenk: Henry Moore Large Two Forms: An Allegory of the Modern Welfare State . Pp. 62/63.