Lutz Bernsau

Coat of arms of the Bergisch noble family Bernsau

Lutz Bernsau (born March 15, 1954 in Altena Westf.) Is a German artist and designer. Bernsau is the name of an ancient Bergisch noble family with their own coat of arms, whose line of roots goes back to the middle of the 12th century.

His work includes paintings, etchings, drawings, objects and sculptures, art-in-building projects, fountains, furniture and carpet collections as well as projects in the field of visual communication and film productions.

Life

1975 to 1981 he studied graphic and illustration at the University of Duisburg-Essen , GHS Folkwang a . a. with Sabine Tschierschky .

While still a student, he received the art prize of the " Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace " in 1976 .

Lutz Bernsau in the studio

His thesis consisted of the book "Tango - Denial and Mourning", which he wrote together with the Hispanic player Prof. Dr. Dieter Reichhardt and his gallery owner Lu Wieghardt, Galerie Altgasse 4, published in 1980. Bernsau was responsible for the conception and design and completed Reichhardt's texts with a selection of 11 charcoal drawings and 14 pictures on the subject of "Tango". A linguistic essay and an anthology with around 90 tango texts were created. For the complete work "Tango-Refusal and Mourning" (approx. 80 pictures), he received the award of the Rotary Club Essen in 1980 . A traveling exhibition, participation in the 8th Graphic Biennale in Cracow, ART-Cologne (1981) and the presentation of the book at the International Book Fair in Frankfurt (1981) followed.

In 1981 he was a scholarship holder of the Altena workshop, Circle for the Promotion of Fine Arts. In 1982 he was a co-founder of the Lüdenscheider Künstlerbund.

In 1982 and 1996 Bernsau was represented at the international art fair ART Basel . More than 80 solo exhibitions in Germany, France, Switzerland and Spain a. a. in the Galerie Mönch Bremen, Künstlerbund Lüdenscheid, Galerie im Stengelquartier Saarbrücken, Galerie Donath Troisdorf, Galerie Dahlem Dorf, Berlin, Galerie Borkowski Hannover, Stettener Schloß.

In 1986 he built a fountain in a central location in his hometown Altena, which is called "Splenterrölleken" and can still be seen today. Bernsau participated u. a. at the 8th Graphic Biennale in Krakow and ART Basel . In 2011–2017, Bernsau developed the “Hofladen-Portal” e-commerce platform for regional products. His works are in public and private ownership in Europe, USA, South America and China.

Bernsau lived and worked from 1974 to 2001 with his then wife Christiane Bernsau, b. Wever, in the municipality of Herscheid / Sauerland . The couple separated in 2001. Their son is Tim Philip Bernsau (born October 14, 1982 in Lüdenscheid, designer).

"Field of Wellbeing", painting

From 1992 he moved into a studio in Menorca / Balearic Islands. In 1994 he and his family moved entirely to the Iberian island.

In 2000 Lutz Bernsau staged the cultural event "Siege" as an artist with the cultural office of the Märkisches Kreis and the Boecker Wender Stahl company. Bernsau installed 27 stainless steel sculptures and sound installations made of precision strip steel to create a sculpture park and sound garden around Altena Castle . The concepts and models were created over months of work in his studios on Menorca and in Herscheid. The staging took place in the "Year of Industrial Culture of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia" and addressed the dialogue between industry and culture or between history and modernity. The head of the cultural department of the Märkisches Kreis, Günter Gierke, opened the multi-media staging. Well-known musicians such as Pete York (founding member of the Spencer Davis Group ), Mario Argandona, Jose Cortijo, Wolfgang Lackerschmid and the band Cantiga with singer Deborah Carter performed live that evening and were part of the dramaturgy. The trailers designed by Bernsau on the future of industrial culture, sequences on the creation of the sculpture and sound garden and the live concert from the Royal Albert Hall of its Menorcan neighbors, the rock band Deep Purple , were broadcast via monitor towers and a large-format video screen . A laser show and fireworks ended the spectacle in front of over 3000 visitors. The result was the book "Siege, Installations von Lutz Bernsau", published in 2000 by Seltmann & Hein Verlag, Cologne.

"Siege" of Altena Castle

“The siege of Altena Castle brought Altena a firework of sculptures, sounds and music; a total work of art that allows world-class drummers and Harley-Davidson 'knights' to move into Altena Castle "(Westfälische Rundschau, August 5th, 2000)

“September 15, 2000 puts the castle in the spotlight as the scene of a cultural spectacle: It is a staging of visual art, movement and music, embedded in the gray of the castle walls and the homeliness of the castle park, which has been restored according to old plans. Lutz Bernsau, artist and designer, transforms the walk around the historic castle with his bizarre sculptures into an art garden, a field of discovery for eyes and ears. ”(Westfälische Rundschau, August 9, 2000)

From 2002 to 2011 Lutz Bernsau lived with Lisa Brühl (now Lisa Wernsmann, cultural scientist and artist). Their daughter Gemma Franziska was born on September 24, 2004 in Mahon / Menorca (Spain).

In 2006 he returned to his hometown Altena and ran a studio and the agency for graphics and visual communication Bernsau & Partner. In 2007/2008, Lutz Bernsau developed a design concept for a sculpture park (KRAH Group, Drolshagen). The idea of ​​planning theme parks with different design variants that do justice to the main theme of "Joy in Resistance" was developed in several meetings with the Hermann family. After 8 years, the overall installation was completed in 2016 with the "Omega sculpture" on the newly created space between the two administration buildings. Here, the energy lines coming from the two parts of the building come together to form a stele on which, symbolically, representing the employees, approx. 140 small bronze figures hold up the physical symbol for the electronic resistance at eye level. The almost floating omega symbol with the small sculptures finally represents the main theme.

In 2011, Lutz Bernsau started his pioneering work "Hofladenportal" as the founder. The decentralized e-commerce platform for regional products www.hofladen-portal.de was created .

Front view of Gut Almerfeld

Entrance portal with the coat of arms of Gut Almerfeld

Lutz Bernsau has been living and working on Gut Almerfeld near Brilon in the Hochsauerlandkreis since 2016 .

He is represented by the gallery and art management agency Pahmin Art in Hamburg.

plant

"Wandläufer", design by BWS

Throughout his work, Bernsau deals with being human as well as with the topics of partnership and relationship. He works in an interdisciplinary manner and likes to experiment in various techniques and disciplines.

"Color heads", painted wooden sculptures

His large-format still lifes, landscape paintings and figure paintings have become identifying marks. New are collections of object boxes, colored wooden sculptures and installations with his “wall runners” made of bronze.

painting

"Bettenschlacht", painting

Bernsau's entire painterly oeuvre encompasses various genres such as landscape, portrait and still life. He often paints the objects from a bird's perspective and step-by-step perspective, which is a typical feature of his pictures.

While the earlier works have a rather earthy, dull color palette, later works are strongly influenced in their color by his long residence on the Iberian island of Menorca. As early as the 1980s, Bernsau began to experiment with different materials. So he puts u. a. Sand and slate flour and gives his pictures an unmistakable feel.

He mixes his colors himself with pigments and various binders in order to be able to influence their viscosity and luminosity.

Typical of Bernsau are his collages, in which he uses different papers, sheet music, newspapers, etc. and sometimes paints them over again.

"Encounters 1", painting

"Encounters 2", painting

His painting grounds are canvases and wooden panels.

Portraits (excerpt)

• Johann Sebastian Bach (Bachforum) 1984
• Kurt Kostal 1990
• Leopold Kostal 1991
• Karl-Heinz Brinkmann 2007
• Rainer Fiala Drolshagen 2009
• Nina S. 2013
• Helmut Kostal 2017

Drawing and printmaking

Bernsau's drawings and prints are presented as a separate group of works. The Argentine tango is a theme that has been worked on again and again in his graphic work . Particular mention should be made of the charcoal drawings in the 1980 book “Tango - Denial and Sadness” and his etchings on Enrique Santos Discepolin's Tangos. In 1994 he designed the record cover and the tour posters for the Argentinian klezmer clarinetist Giora Feidman .

Sculptures, objects and art in construction

In his sculptures and objects, Bernsau mainly uses the materials stainless steel, bronze, wire, stone and wood. There are clear parallels to his pictorial elements, such as the "torsos".

He designed and implemented various fountains, water features, squares and building complexes for companies and cities.

Sculpture Park KRAH Group

In 1986 he built the “Splenterrölleken” in Altena, a fountain system that uses water power to drive a wheel weighing tons and figures made of metal and which can be moved. Bernsau refers to the previous use of water power in the wire industry located here.

While observing an ant trail on his property in Menorca, he came up with the idea for his “wall walkers”.

“They (the ants) leave the normal plane, touch, communicate with each other; Synapse formation, swarm intelligence emerges! "(Lutz Bernsau)

Wall runner in the town hall of Herscheid

They are cast bronze figures that Bernsau arranges into large wall installations. These can be seen, for example, in the town hall in Herscheid, at the BWS companies in Iserlohn and Hohage in Altena (guidance and orientation systems) and in the stairwell of the hospital in Plettenberg.

Visual communication & film, design, project consulting

Bernsau used film as a medium early on. In the early 1990s he made several films with Klaus Dambachmayr that document Bernsau's working method and were shown in his exhibitions, among other things. ("Making of", creation of painting / large sculptures).

In 1994 they jointly produced a film about the Balearic island of Menorca, which was used in the image and tourism sector of the island. A total of around 50 productions have been made to date.

With a multimedia journey through time, which Bernsau implemented with the help of actor Alfred Herms and dancers from the Frankfurt performance theater Antagon, he staged the reopening of the Luisenhütte in Balve / Wocklum in 2006 . “It was the expected cultural bang for the reopening of the Luisenhütte in Balve-Wocklum. More than 5000 visitors made a pilgrimage to the technical monument of national importance on the weekend. ”(Westfälische Rundschau, May 7, 2006)“ A breathtaking show at the opening of the Luisenhütte - multimedia journey through time brings the ghosts of the workers from the past to the Luisenhütte / Rush on technical monument. "(Iserlohner Kreisanzeiger, May 9, 2006)

For the state horticultural show in Hemer in 2010, Bernsau designed a seven-meter-high, transparent pavilion made of stainless steel, which he called “Heavenly Dream”.

Exhibitions (selection)

• 1981 Int. Art fair Cologne, Int. Frankfurt Book Fair, Gallery Köster-Emden Altena
• 1982 Int. Art fair ART Basel, Galerie Mönch Bremen, roof gallery Essen / Mülheim
• 1996 ART Basel, atelier exhibition in Herscheid
• 1997 Sala de Cultura ?? Sa Nostra ?? Mahón / Menorca
• 2000 TDS Trend Park Neckarsulm
• 2005 Werdringen Castle in Hagen
• 2006 City Gallery ?? Alte Post ?? Westerland / Sylt
• 2007 City of Binz
• 2019 Gallery SPK Olpe, Kulturbahnhof Grevenbrück, Communication Center Steinfurt
• 2020 Chongqing Art Museum / Art Center China

Prizes, grants and awards (selection)

• 1976 Demieres Nouvelles D´Alsace Art Prize
• 1980 Rotary-Cub Essen sponsorship award
• 1980 Book Tango - Denial and Mourning by Dieter Reichardt
• 1981 Scholarship at the Altena workshop
• 1991 Objects, film by Klaus Dambachmayr
• 1993 forensics, film by Klaus Dambachmayr
• 1994 Menorca, film by Lutz Bernsau and Klaus Dambachmayr
• 1997 Edition DZ-Licht
• 1997 Carpet Collection Half Moon
• 2007 Red Dot, angel for angel

Book projects (selection)

• Dieter Reichardt: Tango - refusal and grief. Concept / layout / illustrations Lutz Bernsau, Verlag Klaus Dieter Vervuert, Frankfurt / Main 1981, ISBN 3-921600-10-3 .
• Siege. Installations by Lutz Bernsau, Seltmann & Hein Verlag, Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-934687-02-4 .
• Bottom line - 10 years of art funding at the Altena workshop in 1986

Sawitzky, Büchter, Bernsau, Hotzel, Allenstein, Hoffmann, Wittke, Nick, Jenewein 1986, publisher: Ed .: Werkstatt Altena eV - Soffner printing company

Sculptures, installations and art in public spaces (selection)

• "Splenterrölleken" well system, Altena, 1986
• Wall design of the medical center, Altena, 1991
• Large sculpture / fountain system "Success through technology", Brinkmann-Pumpen, Werdohl, 1991
• Wall design Brinkmann-Pumpen, Werdohl, 1992
• Large sculpture, "Together-to one another", Fam. Hermann, Drolshagen, 1992
• Wall design EC area Kostal, Lüdenscheid, 1992
• Fountain system and wall design Kostal, Dortmund, 1994
• "Watercourse", design of the square in front of Holtzbrinck Castle, Altena, 1995
• “Encounters 2”, installation, Pou Nou, Menorca, 1998
• "Encounters 4", installation / guidance system in Plettenberg Hospital, 1998
• Large sculpture "Partnership 2" and 2 wall designs, TDS, Heilbronn, 1999
• Large sculpture plettac AG, Plettenberg, 1999
• Wall design, plettac AG, Plettenberg, 1999
• "Siege", Altena Castle Sculpture Park, 2000
• “Encounters 1”, installation, St. Luis / Menorca, 2001
• Large sculpture / installation, "Between the past and the future", Boecker Wenderstahl, Iserlohn, 2002
• “Scorpion”, sculpture, Pou Nou, Menorca, 2002
• “Where is Venice”, large sculpture, Fam. Hermann, Ankaran, Slovenia, 2002
• "2 Kings", sculpture, Pou Nou, St. Lluis, Menorca, 2003
• “Partnership”, Sculpture EG Bilstein Group, Hohenlimburg, 2005
• “Follow me!” Installation / guidance system, Herscheid Town Hall, 2007
• "Joy in Resistance", Sculpture Park, KRAH Group, Drolshagen, 2008–2016
• "Pavillon", BWS, State Garden Show, Hemer, 2009–2010
• "Encounters 3", Rotary Club Hemer, sculpture at the Hemer State Garden Show, 2009
• "2000 panels", Mobile / Installation, Ver. SpK. in the MK, Altena, 2009-2010
• Large sculpture "We are partners", Altena headquarters, Ver. Sparkasse in the Märkisches Kreis, 2009–2010
• “Theater of Life” / installation, Fam. Hermann, Drolshagen, 2010
• “Approaching each other”, installation, Hohage, Altena, 2011
• "Omega", KRAH Group, Drolshagen, 2016
• “Everything is turning”, Kugel collection, Gut Almerfeld, Brilon, 2018
• "Above and Above", Ensemble Drahtskulpturen, Gut Almerfeld, Brilon, 2018
• "Headless", series of painted wood sculptures, Gut Almerfeld, Brilon, 2019

Editions (selection)

• Ed. Etchings "The Player", v. F. Dostoevsky, 1976
• Altena-Edition workshop, 1981
• Tango refusal and mourning, Vervuert-Edition, 1981
• 6 color etchings, “Tangos v. ES Discepolin “edition, 1981
• Bach Forum, Plettenberg Edition, 1983
• Semaphore edition, 1983
• "Forge my hammer ...", Edition plettac AG, 1987
• Schade Edition, 1993
• "Mood Barometer", Edition, KRAH Group, 1995
• Carpet Collection, Half Moon Edition, 1997
• Sculptures, “The attitude decides”, KRAH Group, 1995
• DZ-Licht Edition, 1999
• KOSTAL edition, 1999
• Taula y Talayots furniture collection, 1999
• BWS editions (Boecker Wender Stahl), 2000–2019
• ThyssenKrupp Edition, 2002
• Sculptures, ARVATO / Bertelsmann Edition, 2005
• Stauffenberg Edition, 2004
• “Angel for Angel” edition, 2007
• Pilling edition, 2008
• "Artinterieur" edition, 2009
• "My season" edition, 2009
• Cable drag edition, 2009
• Edition "David Moreno", 2018
• Zielinvesthaus edition, 2019
• Sculptures, Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gesellschaft, Altena, “Pott Jost” edition, 2019

Films (selection)

Detection of evidence - Menorca, BWS, City of Altena , KOSTAL , Hoßdorf & Weber, Bilstein Group, vom Hofe Group, CDW, Lindemann & Störmer, Nedschroef , Dawedeit, Bender & Wirth, Netzwerk Draht, Pilling, ITEX, HEP, Hartmann exact, SMS Group , META , Diehl Group , Trithor, Pentamodul, Zenergie Power, Gerbens Bar, plettac -plana, Märkischer Kreis , MEKON, Herrmann & Lenz, LTU , Hapag-Lloyd , TV portrait Menorca, Semana Santa St. Lluis, STAMA, farm shop portal, Hoesch - ThyssenKrupp , WDR , Das Gut, Kreativ-Shop

Individual evidence

1. ^ Dieter Reichhardt, Lutz Bernsau: Tango - denial and mourning. Verlag Klaus Dieter Vervuert, Frankfurt / Main, 1980, 270 pages, ISBN 3-921600-10-3 .
2. ↑ Lutz Bernsau received `Rotary` sponsorship award / The young artist's mature work was widely recognized in Essen In: Altenaer Rundschau , 1980.
3. ↑ Tango book by Bernsau a work of art In: Westfälische Rundschau , 1980.
4. ↑ 10 years later: Development documented in an exhibition In: Lüdenscheider Nachrichten , 1992.
5. ↑ Lutz Bernsau - Stages of a Career In :? , 2000.
6. ^ Fountain sculpture by Lutz Bernsau has now been inaugurated in Altena In: Westfälische Rundschau , July 25, 1986.
7. ↑ Lutz Bernsau's way between `Malhaus` and` Denkfabrik` / Altena artist and former workshop scholarship holder has been living in Menorca since 1994 - world of design as a challenge In: Altenaer Rundschau , November 15, 1997.
8. ^ Siege, installations by Lutz Bernsau , 2000, Seltmann & Hein Verlag, Cologne, 149 pages, ISBN 3-934687-02-4 .
   Work of art successful / response to the `siege of Altena Castle` was amazing . Lüdenscheider Nachrichten, September 18, 2000.
   The siege - or: a feast for the eyes and ears / The castle was taken by storm and burst at the seams - the spectacle was enthusiastic - impressions could hardly be captured . Altenaer Rundschau, September 16, 2000.
   Fantastic spectacle at Altena Castle / Artistic siege of the castle: sound sculptures made of 15 tons of steel. Renowned percussion artists and jazz musicians in association with Altenaer Schützen. Deep Purple . Altenaer Kreisblatt, August 29, 2000.
9. ↑ Bernsau: In the end there are solutions , In: Westfälische Rundschau, September 22, 2006
   Fresh wind, young team, creative designers - Bernsauhaus revitalized / In the house on night 5, the workshop and studio open. Art to watch , In: Süderländer Tageblatt, November 4, 2006
10. ↑ Between passion and cold / The painter and designer Lutz Bernsau does not suffer from creative blockages - just from too little time In: Axel Bringschulte Arnsberg, Top Magazin Sauerland, Bringschulte Medien GmbH , 2009.
11. ↑ You can recognize the Bernsau by its top views and perspectives In: Süderländer Tageblatt? , 2001.
12. ↑ Lutz Bernsau invites you to tango in two galleries In: Altenaer Rundschau , August 27, 1993.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Artist Lutz Bernsau opens Gut Almerfeld to visitors In: Westfalen Post online 2018
14. ↑ image scratch marks, Lutz Bernsaus works in Eyhausen In: ? , 1986.
15. ↑ ^{a b} Lutz Bernsau: Huge fountain sculpture is set up in autumn In: Altenaer Rundschau 1990
16. ↑ Markaner fountain now finished: Water power moves the colossus In: Westfälische Rundschau , 1986.
17. ^ The eternal communication, pictures & sculptures by Lutz Bernsau at TDS AG in Neckarsulm In: Heilbronner Voice , October 18, 2000.
18. ↑ You can recognize the Bernsau by its top views and perspectives In: Süderländer Tageblatt , 2001
19. ↑ Art Weekend: `Neuer` Bernsau colorful and confident in: Westfälische Rundschau ., 1993
20. ^ Lutz Bernsau: Abduction in an island paradise In: Westfälische Rundschau , 1993.
21. ↑ More than 5,000 celebrated the new Luisenhütte In: Wayback Machine, Internet Archive , 2006.
22. ↑ Copper work is waiting to move to Altena / ...? the work was completed in summer In: Westfälische Rundschau , 1991
23. ↑ Bernsau sculpture also business card for Brinkmann products / also reference to the company's origins In: Süderländer Volksfreund , June 1993
24. ↑ The variable character of a brotherhood: Lutz Bernsau created a new large- scale sculpture In: Westfälische Rundschau No. 240, Herscheider Rundschau , 13.20.1992
25. ↑ New fountain splashes under the protection of man-sized obelisks / artist Lutz Bernsau `monitored` work on site In: Westfälische Rundschau , 1995
26. ↑ Hospital Art: 16 centimeter high figures climb the stairwell / Herscheider artist Lutz Bernsau creates movement with figures In: Süderländer Volksfreund? , 1998
27. ↑ Bernsau Sculpture `Connection` adorns Plettac-Platz in Köbbinghausen / Artwork made of chrome-nickel steel embodies the dynamism of the company In: Westfälische Rundschau , October 14, 1997
    Lutz Bernsau's 800 kilogram` Connection` fits Plettac AG In: Plettenberger Rundschau , 1. November 1997
28. ↑ Un regalo para la èscolata` / El pintor y escultor aleman en Sant Lluis, Lutz Bernsau, es el autor de un pequeno conjunto escultórico que ha cedido gratuitamente a la escuela municipal infantil Ses Canaletes In: Presse Menorca , 7 November 2006
29. ↑ ^{a b} Lutz Bernsau's way between `Malhaus` and `Denkfabrik` / Altena artist and former workshop scholarship holder has lived in Menorca since 94 - world of design as a challenge In: Altenaer Rundschau , November 15, 1997
30. ↑ Searching for clues by video camera turned into a declaration of love / Unusual duo with their own `chemistry` on the Balearic island of Menorca In: Westfälische Rundschau , September 20, 1994

Web links

• Atelier Bernsau , homepage
• Creative workshops with Lutz Bernsau
• Art lessons with Lutz Bernsau