Werner Friedrich Kunz

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Werner F. Kunz: Spring nymph (1929, bronze) in Zurich-Wipkingen
Werner F. Kunz: Worker at the snack bar (1946, Stein) in Chippis VS
Werner F. Kunz: Liberation (1962, bronze) on the Werdplatz in Zurich-Aussersihl
Werner F. Kunz: The Sound (1954, bronze) in the vestibule of the Tonhalle Zurich
Werner F. Kunz: Lipizzaner "Levade" (1954, bronze small)
Werner F. Kunz: Portrait of Prof. Dr. theol. Emil Brunner (1889-1966) (1959, bronze) in the auditorium of the University of Zurich
Werner F. Kunz: Commemorative Medal Paracelsus von Hohenheim (1493-1541) (1940, bronze)
Werner F. Kunz: Fohlenbrunnen (1935, bronze) in Zurich-Fluntern
Werner F. Kunz: Pulpit and Last Supper Table (1938, wood) in the Reformed Church in Signau BE
Werner F. Kunz: Lion , charcoal drawing (around 1950)

Werner Friedrich Kunz (born May 11, 1896 in Zurich ; † January 26, 1981 there ; also Werner F. Kunz ) was a Swiss sculptor and sculptor .

Life

Kunz was a student of the Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling . During his training at the Zurich School of Applied Arts 1912–1913, he made friends with Turo Pedretti , with whom he maintained a studio community from 1915 in his parents' house at Neptunstrasse 6 in Zurich-Hottingen . In addition to his apprenticeship with Kissling from 1914 to 1916, he attended anatomy courses at the University of Zurich and life drawing at the ETH Zurich . This was followed by an internship with his friend, sculptor Hans Gisler (1889–1969), who himself was a former Kissling student.

In 1917 Kunz began his independent artistic activity in Zurich. Shorter study trips and stays, but also exhibitions took him abroad several times. After setting up his studio in a disused cemetery chapel at Plattenstrasse 10 in Zurich- Fluntern in 1929 , he moved into his own modest residential studio building in 1937 on Witikonerstrasse in the Hirslanden district of Zurich , where his family also lived. He married Yvonne Brenzikofer (1907–1993) in 1935 and had two sons, Ulrich (born 1937) and Johannes (born 1940).

From 1924 to 1962 Kunz was on the board of the Zurich Artists' Association, and from 1927 to 1940 as its president. There he maintained a collection of 26 paintings, which is now housed in the Zurich City Archives , the so-called "Ancestral Gallery" of the artists' association. (This includes portraits of Fritz Boscovits , Rudolf Koller and Sigismund Righini , among others , as well as one by WF Kunz, created by Jakob Ritzmann .)

From 1937 to 1955 Kunz taught drawing and modeling at what was then the cantonal teachers' seminar, now the Küsnacht Cantonal School in ZH. He died on January 26, 1981 and was buried in the Enzenbühl cemetery. The grave has now been cleared.

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In the six decades or so of his artistic activity, Werner F. Kunz created a large number of works, from small sculptures to monumental statues, as well as numerous drawings that were also made as studies of his figures. Kunz created most of his works of his own accord without a client; The buyer and location were found later. Some of his larger works are in the possession of the public purse or of other public importance. They can be found in various places in Switzerland, many of them in the Zurich area. From the small sculptures such as For example , several Lipizzaner horses have made it abroad and overseas and are also traded there in auctions.

Kunz worked with different materials for his sculptures, especially with terracotta , English cement, wood , stone , bronze and aluman . He used plasticine or plaster of paris to build his models, and charcoal , ink or Indian ink for the drawings . The main themes that preoccupied him were people and animals, from the animal world in particular lions , tigers , panthers , stag , deer , sheep , calves , dogs and, again and again, the horse in work, sport and dressage .

His artistic concern was "to track down the forms (beauties!) Of humans and animals and to insert them into an orderly whole." According to the Artist Lexicon of Switzerland XX. In the 19th century , the «main part of the work ... is in the neoclassical tradition, especially the large garden figures; some monumental figures, on the other hand, are created in the spirit of expressive, pathetic realism . "

The General Lexicon of Fine Artists of the XX. In the mid-19th century , Kunz's main works referred to the worker at the snack bar in Chippis (canton Wallis), the spring nymph in Zurich- Wipkingen , Hönggerstrasse 71, and the foal fountain in Zurich- Fluntern , Kraftstrasse 15. Important sculptures are also Narcissa ( Vevey cemetery ), youth with Falke ( Rieterpark , Zürich-Enge) and Der Klang (also: Die Lauschende ; Vestibül der Tonhalle Zürich ). After 1956, other sculptures were created, for example in Stein mother and child (Chippis VS) and horse head ( Kantonsschule Zürcher Oberland , Wetzikon ZH), and many bronze sculptures such as the water carrier (private), mother group (Zürcher Kantonalbank, Regensdorf ZH), greyhound ( animal hospital of the University of Zurich), foal (cemetery in Meilen ), Verena (lake facility in Kilchberg ZH ), liberation (Zurich- Aussersihl , Werdplatz), piston deer (private), boy with foal ( cemetery Enzenbühl in Zurich-Hirslanden), beach rider (private), large Equestrian group (equestrian center Dielsdorf ZH ) and others

The Liberation statue, erected in 1962 on Zurich's Werdplatz, was a gift to the city of Zurich from a working group made up of representatives of workers' organizations. The initiators were the social democratic personalities Hans Oprecht (National Council) and Werner Kuhn. This memorial symbolizes the endeavors of the people, first of all the workers, to remove the shackles placed on them by the environment and the circumstances of the time, whereby not brutal, destructive violence, but an unswerving, courageous struggle should lead to ascent and liberation. Kunz was also inspired for this work by the monument that commemorates the Stäfner Handel 1892–1898 on Lake Zurich in Stäfa . Individual authors see this monument as a counterpart to a sculpture by Karl Geiser on Helvetiaplatz, which is perceived as too bourgeois . Federal Councilor Willy Spühler spoke about the inauguration of the monument on Werdplatz ; Jakob Tuggener also took photographs of the occasion .

Werner F. Kunz's work also includes portrait busts , such as those of the theologian Emil Brunner (for the auditorium of the University of Zurich), the diplomat Max Huber and the ophthalmologist Adolphe Franceschetti (discoverer of the Franceschetti syndrome, University of Geneva ) by the Zurich town clerk Heinrich ( Hermann) Bertschinger (1880–1963) and the industrialists Henri Détraz (1878–1959; Aluminum-Industrie AG Chippis / Sierre, later Alusuisse ) and Hermann Hess-Weiss (1888–1962; Esco Amriswil).

He created medals of honor for well-known personalities, such as Professors Paul Karrer ( University of Zurich ), Leopold Ružička ( ETH Zurich ) (both Nobel Prize for Chemistry ), the Bernese dialect writer Rudolf von Tavel , the food chemist Johann Ulrich Werder and the doctor and natural scientist Paracelsus von Hohenheim.

Kunz's oeuvre also includes relief sculptures in various materials, such as B. Orpheus and Eurydice (Aluman), Roman bath (wood), the pulpit with the four evangelist symbols and the communion table (wood) in the ref. Church Signau BE, General Henri Guisan (Aluman; Golfpark Signal de Bougy , Aubonne VD and Kunstsammlung Kanton Zürich), horses and men , mother's turn with fawn , sheep group (all clinker ; Zürich-Fluntern and -Hottingen ), little sheep (stone).

Furthermore, numerous small sculptures in bronze or terracotta as well as drawings in ink or charcoal of people and animals were created. His Lipizzaner horses, which he "portrayed" in the typical exercises of classical equestrian art in 1953 at the Spanish Riding School , then in Wels , are known : passage , levade , goose-step , courbette , piaffe , trot and traversing .

Kunz made various statements in the press on individual artist personalities and on topics from his artistic field of interest and told stories about individual works in columnar texts.

Exhibitions

Kunz was involved in various solo and group exhibitions at home and abroad, several times in Paris ( Salon d'Automne , Salon d'Art libre , 1955 with distinction), in London ( Goupil Gallery ), Madrid , Rome , Stockholm , several times in the Kunsthaus Zurich , in the Kunsthalle Bern and in the Kunstmuseum Bern , in Aarau, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, St. Gallen, but also at the Zurich Horticultural Exhibition (Züga) in 1933, at the Swiss National Exhibition in 1939 and many others

Posthumously in June 1981, shortly before the studio building had to give way to a development, a studio exhibition with over 110 large and small sculptures as well as numerous drawings and sketches took place. It was under the patronage of Mayor Sigmund Widmer ; His predecessor Emil Landolt gave the speech at the vernissage on May 30, 1981.

  • Zurich artist. Sculptures - paintings - drawings. Kunsthaus Zurich, November 25, 1939 to January 7, 1940.
  • 1952: Max Billeter, painting; Arnold Bosshardt, drawings; Werner F. Kunz, plastic. Municipal Kunstkammer Strauhof, Zurich, September 22 to October 8, 1952.
  • Art on hand. The Swiss medal in the 20th and 21st centuries. Münzkabinett and Antikensammlung of the City of Winterthur , November 3, 2007 to August 24, 2008.

Publications

  • Something about the sculptor and his work. In: Schule und Leben , magazine of the Association of Former Commercial School Students in Zurich, No. 1, January 1925, pp. 14-16.
  • Something about the sculptor and his work. The garden sculpture. In: Schule und Leben , magazine of the association for former commercial school students in Zurich, No. 4, July 1925, pp. 101–103.
  • The plastic in the garden. In: Die Kunst für alle , 50.Bruckmann, Munich 1934/1935, p. 286. ( digitized version )
  • An interesting competition. In: Art and People. No. 6, 1946, pp. 172-176.
  • Richard Kissling, the rider. For the 100th birthday. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . No. 790, April 15, 1948, morning edition, p. 1.
  • A Kissling masterpiece destroyed. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. No. 592, March 18, 1951.
  • Animal and sculptor. In: Our animals. No. 39, Sept / Oct 1952, pp. 41-42.
  • The white Lipizzaner. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. No. 1251, May 31, 1953, Sunday edition, p. 5.
  • Dear jubilee Ernst E. Schlatter. In: Thurgauer Volkszeitung , November 27, 1953.
  • An unknown work by Richard Kissling. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, September 25, 1954.
  • Lipizzaner, art and artist. In: St. Georg (Düsseldorf), No. 12/1957, p. 6.
  • Encounter - fulfillment. In: Swiss cavalryman. No. 11, Sept. 1964, pp. 20-21.
  • A proposed solution to the question of the monument to General Henri Guisan. In: Swiss cavalryman. No. 9, July 1965, pp. 33-34.
  • The Hubligenmatt pulpit. Experience report by a sculptor. In: Zürichsee-Zeitung . No. 119, May 24, 1969, Pentecost, pp. 15-17.
  • Does Richard Kissling's Werkhaus have to disappear? In: Tages-Anzeiger . No. 78, April 6, 1970, p. 17.
  • The last confession from Urs Eggenschwyler . In: Swiss Reformed Volksblatt. No. 13, August 13, 1970.
  • The bronze horses on San Marco in Venice. In: Swiss Reformed Volksblatt. No. 12, August 9, 1973, p. 178.
  • Ernst Wiechert's New Years present. In: Swiss Reformed Volksblatt. No. 20, Dec. 20, 1973, pp. 314-316.
  • The unrest in Stäfa 1792–1798. In: Schweizerisches Teformierter Volksblatt. No. 15, April 11, 1973, pp. 227-228.
  • Ferdinand Hodler in Stadelhofen , In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, March 15, 1976.
  • Almost a legend. Work report by a sculptor. In: Zürichsee-Zeitung. No. 132, June 11, 1979, p. 6.
  • Flight to the spring nymph. Start of a sculptor. In: Zürichsee-Zeitung. No. 184, June 13, 1979.

literature

  • Doris Wild : On the fountain figure by Werner F. Kunz, Zurich. In: The ideal home. No. 7, July 1933, pp. 260-263.
  • E. Briner: The sculptor Werner F. Kunz. In: Die Kunst für alle , 50. Bruckmann, Munich 1934/1935, pp. 283–286. ( Digitized version )
  • Werner Kuhn: Zurich sculptor and sculptor: Werner F. Kunz. In: People's Law . No. 238, October 9, 1952.
  • Werner Kuhn: Werner F. Kunz. Sculptor and sculptor. In: Members of the Cooperative. No. 4, January 24, 1953.
  • Jakob Tuggener : The life of an artist. In: Members of the Cooperative. No. 42, October 14, 1954.
  • Kunz, Werner F . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General Lexicon of Fine Artists of the XX. Century. tape 3 : K-P . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1956.
  • Werner Kuhn: Greetings from Werner F. Kunz. In: People's Law. No. 110, May 11, 1956.
  • N / A: 30 years of horse and equestrian sculpture by Werner F. Kunz. In: Swiss cavalryman. Volume 54, No. 14, Christmas 1964, pp. 49-52.
  • Max Rud. Geiser: Werner F. Kunz. For the sculptor's 70th birthday. In: Zürichsee-Zeitung. No. 108, May 10, 1966.
  • N / A : An equestrian monument. In: Swiss cavalryman. Volume 62, No. 1, p. 7.
  • Herbert Gröger: "For me it is about richness of form and beauty". Visit to the sculptor Werner F. Kunz. In: Zürichsee-Zeitung. No. 33, August 17, 1973.
  • Herbert Gröger: love for people and animals. For the 80th birthday of the sculptor Werner F. Kunz. In: Zürichsee-Zeitung. No. 107, May 10, 1976, p. 5.
  • Peter Wydler: Honoring the Zurich and Stäfner sculptor Werner F. Kunz (1896–1981). In: Kilchberger Gemeindeblatt. No. 7/8, July / August 1982. Also in: Anzeiger des Wahlkreis Thalwil. No. 94, August 9, 1982.
  • JE Fischlin: Werner F. Kunz, sculptor: (1896–1981). Human and animal. Daphnis, Herrliberg 1986.

Web links

Commons : Werner Friedrich Kunz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Elisabeth Ott-Schreiner: Turo (Arturo) Pedretti. ( Memento of the original from April 27, 2016 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. Biographical data, 2013. From the Il Tesoro gallery website , accessed February 8, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.galleriailtesoro.ch
  2. ↑ a b c Artist Lexicon of Switzerland XX. Century. Volume 1: A – Le Corbusier. Association for the publication of the Swiss artist lexicon. Huber, Frauenfeld 1958–1961, p. 549.
  3. ^ Minutes of the meeting of the Artists' Association of Zurich. Zurich City Archives, Sign. VII.93.
  4. ↑ Zurich Artists' Association 1897–1999.
  5. ^ Lexicon of Contemporary Swiss Artists. Edited by Switzerland. Institute for Art History. Huber, Frauenfeld 1981, p. 208.
  6. ^ Johannes Kunz: Werner F. Kunz (1896–1981): Works of public importance. City Archives Zurich, Sign. Na 5926.
  7. ↑ Werner F. Kunz at invaluable.com
  8. ↑ Herbert Gröger: "For me it is about richness of form and beauty". Visit to the sculptor Werner F. Kunz. In: Zürichsee-Zeitung. No. 33, Aug. 17, 1973.
  9. ↑ Kunz, Werner F . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General Lexicon of Fine Artists of the XX. Century. tape 3 : K-P . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1956, p. 140 . (Also in 1999 as an unchanged reprint of the original edition).
  10. ^ Herbert Pachmann: Zurich showpieces: sculptures in the public space of the city. BoD, 2014, pp. 71-72 ( [1] ).
  11. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger. No. 100, April 30, 1962, 3rd sheet.
  12. ↑ Brigitt Sigel (ed.): City and country walls: demarcations - exclusions in the city and around the city. VDF Hochschulverlag, Zurich 1999, ISBN 3-7281-2511-3 , pp. 44–45.
  13. ↑ Inauguration of the bronze statue “Liberation” (actually “Great Prometheus”) by Werner Friedrich Kunz on Werdplatz in Zurich (April 28, 1962). In the image and sound database of the Swiss Social Archives , accessed on February 8, 2017.
  14. ^ Frank Jehle : Emil Brunner - theologian in the 20th century. Theological Verlag Zürich, Zürich 2006, p. 383. ( online )
  15. ^ Huldrych MF Koelbing : Franceschetti, Adolphe. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  16. ^ Bertschinger (Hermann) Heinrich . In: Matriculation edition of the University of Zurich 1833–1924.
  17. ↑ hessinvestment.ch
  18. ↑ Printed matter from the Strauhof Museum. ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Directory of the Zurich City Archives, p. 2. Retrieved on February 8, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / amsquery.stadt-zuerich.ch
personal data
SURNAME Kunz, Werner Friedrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kunz, Werner F.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss sculptor and sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH May 11, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich
DATE OF DEATH January 26, 1981
Place of death Zurich