Walter Gebauer

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Clay grave slab, designed by his daughter Christine Freilang

Walter Gebauer (born October 2, 1907 in Thalbürgel , † May 3, 1989 in Bürgel ) was a German master potter and one of the most influential ceramists in the GDR .

Life

Walter Gebauer came from an established pottery family. His father Paul was a master potter, as was his uncle Carl. After finishing school, he completed a pottery apprenticeship from 1922 to 1925 with his father in his uncle Carl's workshop. Here he passed his journeyman's examination in 1925 . From 1925 to 1927 he studied at the Bunzlau School of Ceramics . In 1931 he received his master's certificate as a master potter and since then has worked in various factories : u. a. in the stoneware factory Wessel in Bonn and at the state majolica factory in Karlsruhe . In 1934 he founded his own workshop " An der Stadtmauer 1 " in Bürgel. Originally he worked his way into the tradition of popular earthenware with the typical Bürgel decoration made of engobe . But he also began to experiment with new types of ceramic materials. In 1935 he exhibited simple unglazed vessels at the Leipzig Trade Fair , which were provided with incised and applied decorations. The handling of building and decorative ceramics also caught his attention. The effect of the glazes used was particularly important to him.

In 1945 he was elected regional master of Thuringia . In his workshop he also trained apprentices, including such prominent ones as the ceramist Ulli Wittich-Großkurth . His own daughter Christine also did an apprenticeship with him and has run her own workshop in her father's premises since her master craftsman examination. Gebauer was artistic-technical advisor to PGH Kunsthandwerk Bürgel . In 1952 he became a member of the Association of German Visual Artists (later the GDR). In 1964 he worked as a guest lecturer at the University of Industrial Design Halle, Burg Giebichenstein in Halle .

On the occasion of his 100th birthday, the Ceramics Museum in Bürgel dedicated a special exhibition to him, and the Walter Gebauer Ceramics Prize has existed since 1994 . It is awarded by the Förderkreis Keramik-Museum Bürgel eV, the ART-regio art promotion of the Sparkassen Versicherung and the Bürgeler Töpfermarkt GmbH, which honor the Bürgel master potter and ceramic teacher Walter Gebauer.

Many of his works are presented in the Bürgel Pottery Museum. Here the path of a creative potter looking for his own forms of expression is shown using typical individual vessels. The convincing mastery of his formal language has earned him high recognition and authority . He has emerged as a trainer in his training workshop, as a lecturer at the Giebichenstein art college in Halle, known as “the castle”, and as a competent advisor and partner in other ceramic workshops. The master potter Frank Michaelis emphasizes the "encounter and collaboration with Walter Gebauer, Bürgel" on his website. Walter Gebauer's versatility is documented in connection with documents, photos and vessels from his estate that have not yet been shown. Gebauer's clay objects can also be found in numerous museums around the world.

Publications

  • Kézműipari kerámia , Budapest: Műszaki Könyvkiadó, 1985
  • Handicraft ceramics , Fachbuchverl., 1988, 5th edition.
  • Ceramic , Erfurt: GAF, 1985
  • Craft ceramics , Leipzig: Fachbuchverlag, 1985, 4th ed.
  • Craft ceramics , Leipzig: Fachbuchverlag, 1983, 3rd ed.
  • Craft ceramics , Leipzig: Fachbuchverlag, 1982, 2nd edition.
  • Craft ceramics , Leipzig: Fachbuchverlag, 1980, 1st edition.

literature

  • F. Kämper: Handicrafts in Transition , Berlin 1984
  • Jakobson, Hans Peter: Walter Gebauer - A potter from Bürgel , Jena, 1998
  • Behrends, Rainer: Walter Gebauer - Bürgel , ed. from the Förderkreis Keramik-Museum, [2007]
  • A potter from Bürgel - Walter Gebauer , Jena Bussert, 1998
  • Grete Reichardt , Erfurt Bischleben, weaver, Walter Gebauer, Bürgel / Thuringia, ceramist, Günther Laufer , Eisenach, blacksmith , Eisenach: Thuringian Museum, 1967
  • Ceramics from Bürgel , Rostock: Museum d. City, 1962

Honors

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://lavaguys-ceramic.blogspot.com/2010/06/walter-gebauer-burgel.html
  2. ^ Dietmar Eisold: Lexicon artists in the GDR. A project of the Society for the Protection of Civil Rights and Human Dignity eV , New Life Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-355-01761-9 , pp. 239f.
  3. ↑ http://www.spielraum120.de/spielraum/index.php/kuenstler/frank-michaelis  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.spielraum120.de  
  4. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.keramik-museum-buergel.de

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gebauer, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German ceramist
DATE OF BIRTH October 2, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Thalbürgel
DATE OF DEATH May 3, 1989
Place of death Bürgel (Thuringia)