Louis Léon Weber

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Weber created the large relief relief relaxation in the cemetery on the Hörnli. Relaxation because after life, death is seen as the great relaxation. An old one is being discarded, a new one is imminent. In between is relaxation.
Relaxation , 1930–1938, Friedhof am Hörnli
Louis Léon Weber (1891–1972) sculptor, sculpture, L'Aube, 1957–61, formerly installed in the Totentanz Anlage, Basel. After protests, the sculpture was placed in Rosenfeld Park in 1961.
L'Aube, 1957–1961, Rosenfeldpark, Basel
Daphne, 1951. First at Neubadschulhaus, after damaging the new location, University Hospital Basel
Daphne , 1951, University Hospital Basel

Louis Léon Weber (born April 13, 1891 in Bourgfelden , Alsace , resident in Reigoldswil ; † October 30, 1972 in Basel ) was a Swiss sculptor . His works include busts and sculptures in public spaces.

life and work

Louis Léon Weber was the son of his father Leo Weber ( butcher and landlord ) from Reigoldswil and Magdalena Eberenz from Bourgfelden . He grew up in Basel and during his training as a wood carver in a furniture factory, it went bankrupt. Weber worked on the construction site as a casual worker and moved in with Hermann Scherrer during this time . In 1909 Weber went to Paris for a year, where he got by with odd jobs, including as a model at the Ecole de Beaux Arts . Many of his nude drawings were created during this time. When he returned, Weber worked again as a casual worker in construction. In Basel he attended drawing and modeling courses at the trade school and trained as an autodidact in stone and sculpture. In 1911 Weber moved again to Paris and worked as an apprentice and later as a stonemason for the sculptor August Suter .

From 1912 he worked for Carl Burckhardt and helped him carve out the five reliefs at the Kunsthaus Zürich, which were completed in 1914. A detour takes him to Mannheim, where he sculpted a marble bust by Fritz Fleiner for August Suter . His plan to go back to Paris thwarted the beginning of the First World War. As a fusilier in the 21st Regiment, he was assigned to the Baselbiet Battalions 52 and 53 throughout the war. After the war Weber worked again for August Suter in Zurich and Lucerne.

Weber participates in various competitions. In 1922 he won first prize with a design for the Schützdenkmal in Aarau, which, however, was not carried out. The sandstone relief he designed in 1925 for the military man monument (border occupation monument) on the Bruderholz battery system was smeared with red lead paint the night before the inauguration day . A year later it was finally destroyed with a hammer and chisel. Antimilitarist action was suspected. In 1955 the government council decided to have the heavily damaged sandstone relief removed and to place a bronze plaque in its place, designed by the Basel graphic artist Numa Rick (1902–1973).

Weber was a founding member of Group 33 . He was a member of this until 1943. Some of his works emerged as winners in the competitions of the Basel-Stadt Art Credit . Weber created eight fountains in Basel, including the anniversary fountain on the church square in Kleinhüningen, the fountain in the Neubad school building, the sea lion fountain on Schützenmatte and the fountain on Allschwilerstrasse. In 1934 Weber created the large relief relief relaxation in the cemetery on the Hörnli . Relaxation because after life, death is seen as the great relaxation. An old one is being discarded, a new one is imminent. In between is relaxation.

The works of Henry Laurens , Constantin Brancusi , Etienne Hajdu and Alberto Giacometti were among Weber's favorites. Weber's culture models were sculptures from Mesopotamia, Greece, Egypt, the Etruscans ( Apollon von Veji ), the Minoans and the Incas as well as the mosaics from Ravenna and the compass rose from Chartres.

Weber created a mighty aluminum sculpture for the shipping office in Kleinhüningen and portrait busts a. a. by Charles Hindenlang , Traugott Meyer and Rudolf Graber . For the Carl Spitterer monument in Bennwil he made the high relief medallion and a fountain sculpture for the Güggelbrunnen in Frenkendorf . Weber worked with Hans Bernoulli for a long time .

In 1938 a major competition for all Swiss sculptors took place in Zurich for a sculpture at the Kongresshaus . Weber's design for an aluminum high relief won first place. Due to a lack of funds, the draft could not be implemented. Weber exhibited in Zurich and Geneva as part of the Federation of Modern Swiss Artists , and in 1956 as part of the Swiss Portrait Art Exhibition in Bern. The bust of Carl Henschen created by Weber was shown in a city exhibition and in 1957 Weber was represented with two abstract sculptures at the Venice Biennale .

Weber also created cubist abstract works that can be seen in Basel, Baselland and other Swiss cities. In 1915 Weber married Clara Glaser.

Works (selection)

Exhibitions (selection)

literature

  • Louis Léon Weber (1891–1972) sculpture water carrier, 1952, corner of Seltisbergerstrasse-Zur Gempenfluh,

    Water carrier , 1952

  • Louis Léon Weber (1891–1972) sculpture Wasserträgerin, 1952, corner of Seltisbergerstrasse-Zur Gempenfluh, Base

    Water carrier , 1952 (detail)

  • Louis Léon Weber (1891–1972) sculptor. Sculpture, 1955, Maternité (motherhood). Park Gundeldingerrain / Rehhagstrasse, Basel

    Maternity (motherhood) , 1955

  • Louis Léon Weber (1891–1972) sculptor, sculpture, L`Aube, 1957–61, Rosenfeldpark in Basel

    L'Aube , 1957-1961

  • Fountain sculpture, 1933. By Louis Léon Weber (1891–1972). Park, Allschwilerstrasse / Colmarstrasse, Basel. On behalf of the Basel waterworks.

    Fountain sculpture, 1933

  • Neubadschulhaus, Basel, fountain sculpture, 1956. By Louis Léon Weber

    Fountain sculpture, 1956

Web links

Commons : Louis Léon Weber  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Reigoldswil: Louis Weber. Retrieved August 25, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Architecture and Art: Military Men Monument on the Bruderholz. Retrieved November 17, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Weber, Louis Léon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH April 13, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Bourgfelden , Alsace
DATE OF DEATH October 30, 1972
Place of death Basel , Switzerland