Sculpture "Large Tattoo" (1982), reduction in dark bronze
Sculpture "Large Tattoo" (1982), reduction in dark bronze
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ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 49 copies | numbered | signed | foundry hallmark | certificate | bronze | chased | polished | patinated | reduction | size 24.5 x 10 x 11.5 cm (h/w/d) | weight approx. 3.2 kg
Delivery time: Immediately deliverable
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Sculpture "Large Tattoo" (1982), reduction in dark bronze
Rainer Kriester (1935-2002) is one of the most important German sculptors of the late 20th century. He achieved his international breakthrough in the 1980s, creating numerous "head signs", some of them are monumental figures in bronze, wood and stone. They are not masks, but rather individual heads, engraved with the traces of life lived and experienced.
The artist's wish was to produce scaled-down versions of his large-scale works in bronze. As an ars mundi Exclusive Edition, we have now produced a numbered and signed special edition of 49 copies each in either dark or light patinated bronze.
Original: 1982, ash wood, 195 x 60 x 95 cm, WVZ 230, the private property of the Kriester family.
Fine bronze sculpture, cast using the Lost-Wax-Process, chiselled by hand, polished and dark patinated. Moulded and reduced directly from the original. Limited edition of 49 copies, individually numbered, signed and hallmarked with the foundry stamp. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 24.5 x 10 x 11.5 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 3.2 kg. ars mundi Exclusive Edition.
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]
About Rainer Kriester
1935-2002
"I am a realist by nature, but I do not work realistically. I am not an abstractionist, but I seek abstraction." This is how Rainer Kriester summarised his work.
Kriester is one of the most important German sculptors of the late 20th century.
Kriester, a medical student, fled from the GDR to West Berlin after being imprisoned for a year for "anti-government remarks". There he began to study painting at the Berlin Kunsthochschule in 1961. In 1970 he started working intensively as a sculptor.
In the 1980s, he achieved his international breakthrough, during which he moved his place of work gradually to the Ligurian town of Vendone. This is also where he created many of his "head signs". Some of them are monumental figures made of bronze, wood, and stone. They are not masks, but highly individual heads, engraved with the traces of life lived and experienced.
Wieland Schmied, art historian and long-time president of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, describes his sculptures as "still vibrating with exciting life under their skin".
The most prominent version is the 1.50 m high "White Head Sign" from 1984-1987. Along with works by Chillida and Lüpertz, it belongs to the important sculpture collection of the Federal Chancellery.
An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times. It is an ideal metal for high-quality artistic castings, capable of enduring for millennia.
When casting bronze, the artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. This is the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.
First, the artist forms a model of their work. This model is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber mass. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out, leaving a negative mould. Liquid wax is then poured into the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax cast is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, where the wax melts away (lost mould).
Finally, the negative mould is ready, into which the 1400° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken apart, reavoling the sculpture.
Next, the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist or by a specialist, following their instructions. Thus, each casting is an original work.
For lower-quality bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used, which, however, does not achieve the results of a more elaborate lost-wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.
Graphic or sculpture edition that was initiated by ars mundi and is available only at ars mundi or at distribution partners licensed by ars mundi.
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Term for an art object (sculpture, installation) that, according to the artist’s intention, is produced in multiple copies within a limited and numbered edition.
Multiples enable the "democratization" of art by making the work accessible and affordable for a wider audience.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures made of wood, ivory, or stone are carved directly from the material block, in bronze casting, a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.