Viersen sculpture collection
The Viersen Sculpture Collection is one of the most important contemporary sculpture parks in Germany.
History, meaning and works
From a donation from Viersen, a citizen to the USA, William Pohl to the Viersener Heimatverein as well as from donations and money from the Foundation for Art and Culture of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia , a unique collection of sculptures has been created around the municipal gallery in the park in the district town of Viersen over the past 20 years , in which well-known artists have participated, sometimes with complex works. When the five-part, almost 12-meter-high steel sculpture New Star, constructed in 1986/87 by the American artist Mark di Suvero, was erected on Diergardtplatz in 1992, a storm of protest from local citizens arose in letters to the editor against this loan; many could not do anything with this abstract modern work of art. In the meantime, a change of heart has taken place in the population, brought about by the education, numerous visitors from home and abroad and media coverage.
A particular attraction of this collection is the bronze spine - the articulated column by the English visual artist Tony Cragg (1996), who designed it especially for Viersen. The first sculpture was the monument made of Eifel basalt lava by the Düsseldorf art professor Erwin Heerich (1922–2004) in 1989 . In 1992 the artist donated a bird bath made of the same material to the collection ; He also made metal and stone benches, which correspond to the artistic characteristics of the sculpture collection. Other important works in the sculpture park:
- David Lauer : Figure , bronze body on a basalt lava base (1989)
- Karl Horst Hödicke : Kaspar , bronze statue (1989)
- Wolfgang Nestler : Position in focus (1997)
- Roberto Matta : Chaosmos (2002)
- Günter Haese : Optimus II , kinetic work of art (2007)
- Wang Du : China Daily (2010)
In 1999 a graphic edition was published by artists involved in the collection and by other artists, the proceeds of which were earmarked for new acquisitions; In addition, the Viersener Heimatverein published a number of accompanying publications on art history. In 2009, the Viersener sculpture collection was elected a member by the working group for sculpture museums and sculpture collections.
Literature / sources
- Peter Kastner: The sculptures from the Pohl donation in Viersen . 1989. ISBN 3-9805339-8-0
- RL Bunk, Peter Kastner: Mark di Suvero. “New Star” in the sculpture collection in Viersen. German and English. Viersen 1992. ISBN 3-9805339-9-9
- Peter Kastner: KH Hödicke. Plastic . Viersen 1994. ISBN 3-928298-06-2
- Peter Kastner: Anthony Cragg. "Spine - the articulated column" in the Viersen sculpture collection . 1996. ISBN 3-9805339-0-5
- Peter Kastner: Wolfgang Nestler in the sculpture collection Viersen . 1998. ISBN 3-9805339-1-3
- Albert Pauly: Sculpture Collection Viersen . In: “ Shell heap . Annual journal for literature and graphics ”. No. 41. Viersen 2001. ISSN 0085-3593
- Werner Spies , Peter Kastner: Roberto Sebastian Antonio Matta Echaurren in the "Sculpture Collection Viersen" . Viersen 2002. ISBN 3-9805339-5-6
- Joachim Peter Kastner: Günter Haese. Viersen sculpture collection . Viersen 2007. ISBN 978-3-9808779-6-1
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Albert Pauly: 20 years "Sculpture Collection Viersen". A collection of contemporary art of national importance . In: Heimatbuch. District of Viersen , 2010
Coordinates: 51 ° 15 ′ 29.5 " N , 6 ° 23 ′ 29.9" E