Matt Lamb
Matt Lamb (born April 7, 1932 in Chicago , † February 18, 2012 in Chicago ) was an Irish - American painter and peace activist.
Life
Matt Lamb was the son of an Irish-born undertaker. At the age of 18 he became a partner and later chairman of the board of directors of Blake-Lamb Inc., which quickly developed into one of the leading funeral directors in the USA. In 1954 he married Rosemarie Graham and they have four children together. After Lamb was mistakenly diagnosed with a fatal illness, he sold his company in 1986 and began working as a freelance artist.
Lamb decided to use the time he had left to spread the message of peace, tolerance, hope, understanding and love among people with his works of art. He set up his first studio in Chicago, two more in Florida in 1988 and on a farm in Wisconsin in 1990 .
In 1994, Lamb became President of the Midwest Patrons of the Arts of the Vatican Museums and Director of the Vatican Museum Foundation in New York City . In the same year he set up his fourth studio in Tünsdorf in Saarland , a district of Mettlach , and in 2000 a fifth in Paris .
In 2001, following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA , the artist founded the project The Lamb Umbrellas for Peace . It started with a three-day workshop that Matt Lamb held in Washington DC with 38 children who had lost both parents in the attack.
The children independently chose the umbrellas as a medium on which to express their feelings and hopes. The project quickly developed into one of the greatest children and peace projects of all time.
In 2003 The Lamb Umbrellas for Peace was presented in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in the German Bundestag and in the two houses of the British Parliament. Since then, 400,000 children around the world have painted umbrellas for peace.
In 2003 Matt Lamb created his largest work of art to date in the parish church of St. Martin in Tünsdorf : The Regina-Pacis Peace Chapel - Maria Friedenskönigin , which, with its 120 m² painted area, is one of the most imposing wall paintings in Europe and recently received an entry in the Michelin Guide . The “Matt Lamb Center Of Modern Art”, which presents the artist and his work, is also located in Tünsdorf.
In 2007 Lamb discovered the Thuringian village church Zum Kripplein Christi in Bergern and in the spring of 2008 painted it on 130 m² with depictions of the life of Jesus. He also founded the Schengen Peace Foundation with the German cultural politician Hubert Rohde .
Matt Lamb died on February 18, 2012 at the age of 79 in Chicago of complications from a lung disease.
Exhibitions (selection)
- 1996: Palais du Glace , Buenos Aires
- 1996: Sistine Chapel , Vatican Museum
- 2000: Millennium Project, Westminster Cathedral
- 2003: Presentation of the Lamb Umbrellas for Peace , European Parliament, German Bundestag, House of Lords, House of Commons
- 2003: Picasso Museum , Spain
- 2004: Center Miró , Spain
- 2004: Irish Museum , Ireland
- 2007: Kleisthaus, Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Berlin
- 2007 Marble Palace , St. Petersburg, Russia
- 2007: Real Artistic Circle, Barcelona
- 2007: Maricel Museum, Sitges, Spain
- 2007: Pia Almoina, Barcelona
Awards (selection)
- 1992: Bronze medal from the Deauville Exhibition, National Federation French Culture
- 1996: Honarary Doctor of Humane Letters , University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis
- 2005: Official Artist of the European Capital of Culture 2005, Cork , Ireland
Museums
- Matt Lamb Center Of Modern Art , Tünsdorf
- Peace Chapel , Tünsdorf
- Museo Matt Lamb , Argentinia-Espacios de Gualeguay
- Parque Els Arcs , Barcelona
literature
- Richard Speer: Matt Lamb, the art of success . John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey 2005, ISBN 0-471-71154-3 .
- Enrique Mallen, Richard Speer, Miquel Anguera i Brú, Sebastián Benedetti: Lamb encounters Miró. smkt university press, Tünsdorf 2004.
Web links
- Literature by and about Matt Lamb in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lamb, Matt |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish-American painter and peace activist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 7, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 18, 2012 |
| Place of death | Chicago |