Sculpture "Mainzelmännchen Anton", bronze version
Sculpture "Mainzelmännchen Anton", bronze version
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ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 499 copies | numbered | signed | certificate | bronze | multi-coloured patinated | size approx. 13 x 15 x 11 cm (w/h/d) | weight approx. 2.3 kg
Detailed description
Sculpture "Mainzelmännchen Anton", bronze version
World premiere: Mainzelmännchen - Exclusive Edition at ars mundi on the occasion of the 50th stage anniversary in 2013
The real TV stars wear neither black ties nor evening dress' - they wear pointed hats. And they look back on a career spanning almost 50 years. Reason enough to erect a small monument to the Mainzelmännchen - in precious bronze and cast stone.
The Mainzelmännchen are German cult figures. They have been part of our everyday lives since 2 April 1963, and many of us have already cherished Anton, Berti, Conni, Det, Edi and Fritzchen as children. After almost 50 years of a television career with over 40,000 short TV clips, three Mainzelmännchen are now available for the first time in bronze and cast stone. They were sculpted by their spiritual father, the graphic artist and stage designer Wolf Gerlach himself and released by him and the public-service television broadcaster ZDF in a strictly limited edition exclusively for ars mundi.
Gerlach elaborately created the little cartoon television stars with pencil drawings, and in the same way, their sculptural realisation was also of the highest level of craftsmanship. The art foundry we chose guarantees the utmost care in casting, finishing, grinding and chasing the raw casting by hand until the patination. The multi-coloured patination, in particular, is a special challenge. Because just as each of the Mainzelmännchen has its own name and character, it can also be recognised by its clothing. For example, to dress Anton in his typical red shirt and blue trousers, an extraordinarily elaborate patination process is necessary. The colours have to be applied in a precisely coordinated sequence and at different temperatures. That requires many years of craftsmanship and intuition on the part of the craftsman.
The results are small works of art, as befits the Mainzelmännchen. And the fact that they are in no way inferior in artistic terms to their famous drawn models is confirmed by Wolf Gerlach's signature - each copy bears his signature.
Mainzelmännchen "Anton", edition in cast bronze:
The limited edition of 499 copies in multi-coloured patinated bronze is cast with great craftsmanship using the traditional Lost-Wax-Process. Each copy is made exclusively for ars mundi, bears Gerlach's signature and is individually numbered. With hand-numbered certificate. Size approx. 13 x 15 x 11 cm (w/h/d). Weight approx. 2.3 kg.
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]
This object is part of the following sets
Customer reviews
Sehr schnelle Lieferung.
Der Artikel hat meine Erwartungen übertroffen!
Sehr zu empfehlen.
Herrliche Skulptur gut verarbeitet.
Das Mainzelmännchen war sehr gut verpackt
besser geht es nicht!
About Wolf Gerlach
1928-2012 - versatile artist, inventor of the Mainzelmännchen
Born in Pomerania, Germany, in 1928, Wolf Theodor Gerlach spent his youth living on the North Sea island of Langeoog. The technology and equipment of the performing arts seem to have aroused the young man's interest. After an apprenticeship as a film architect, stage and costume designer, he had his first job in Oldenburg, then Braunschweig and Wiesbaden. At the beginning of the 1960s, Gerlach devoted himself to advertising films and in 1963, for the launch of the public-service television broadcaster ZDF, he created the animated station-identity mascots "Mainzelmännchen".
Gerlach, dissatisfied with all the attempts of dedicated dubbing actors to give his characters the right voice, dubbed them himself in the first few years. And just as the distinctive voice and manner of speaking of actor Hans Paetsch heard on fairy tale records enchanted generations of children and their parents from the 1960s onwards, Gerlach spoke his way into the hearts of television viewers with the famous greeting that he invented and crowed: "Gud'n Aaamd" a dialect coloured "Guten Abend" ("good evening"). His mischievous, cheeky and impertinent characters will always be with us.
Wolf Gerlach died in November 2012 at the age of 84.
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.