Max scratch
Max Kratz (born May 3, 1921 in Remscheid ; † July 2, 2000 in Düsseldorf ) was a German sculptor and university professor .
Life
Kratz studied from 1939 to 1941, first in the metal and later in the graphics class at the Werkkunstschule in Krefeld . As a trained goldsmith, Kratz passed the entrance examination at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf in 1941 and began studying with Paul Bindel . After one semester, Kratz was called up for military service and in January 1945 was taken prisoner by the English , which he spent in Belgian tent camps. In 1946 he continued his studies until 1959, including in the sculpting class of Sepp Mages . There he met his future wife Gerda Rheinberger .
From 1950 Max Kratz lived and worked in Düsseldorf as a freelance artist. In 1951 he married the sculptor Gerda Rheinberger . Already with his first public commission - door handles for the new city treasury in Düsseldorf - he caused a sensation in 1956. Kratz also created numerous works for sacred spaces, including altars, baptismal fonts, pews, windows, altar walls, tabernacles, portals and ways of the cross. In 1970 he was appointed lecturer in sculpture at the Folkwang University of Applied Sciences in Essen . Three years later he moved to the Essen University of Applied Sciences as a professor in the art and design department , where he taught until 1985.
Kratz created a variety of sculptures and drawings. The miners' monument Steilelager in Essen and the towering “pylon” with the nickname Radschläger (1962) in front of Düsseldorf Airport , former location in front of the Düsseldorf congress hall as a trade fair sign, are probably the most famous of the around 100 sculptures that Kratz for public spaces created. A foundation with 132 of his works went to the Museum Baden in Solingen-Gräfrath in 1994 .
The grave of Max and Gerda Kratz is in the north cemetery in Düsseldorf .
Works (selection)
- 1956: Reading bronze relief, Eckenerstraße, Düsseldorf-Unterrath
- 1960: Danzig coat of arms , bronze, 70 cm high, in the historical city hall of Düsseldorf
- 1965: Saline fountain, bronze (cover grate and saline branches), until 2011 at Schadowplatz, Düsseldorf-Stadtmitte (stored)
- 1967: Girl with the pigeon , bronze, stone fountain, Kolhagenstrasse 15, Düsseldorf-Benrath
- 1961: Swimmer , bronze, Niederkasseler Deich, Düsseldorf-Lörick
- 1966: Malkasten-Adler (club coat of arms - imperial eagle with painter's shields, beer glass and house key), entrance area to the association building of the Malkasten , Düsseldorf
- 1989: Steep storage , bronze, Europaplatz in Essen
literature
- Marie Henrich: Max Kratz, Moments - Monuments , Kunstmuseum Solingen, Solingen 2001.
Web links
- Literature by and about Max Kratz in the catalog of the German National Library
- Max Kratz at WDR west.art
- Prof. Max Kratz Foundation
- Art in Public Space Frankfurt, Max Kratz, Retrieved April 25, 2015
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Scratch, max |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German sculptor and university professor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 3, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Remscheid |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 2, 2000 |
| Place of death | Dusseldorf |