Sculpture "Bear with Elf" (2024), bronze
Sculpture "Bear with Elf" (2024), bronze
Quick info
limited, 16 copies | numbered | signed | stamped | bronze, hand-painted | size 40 x 17 x 17 cm ( h x w x d)
Detailed description
Sculpture "Bear with Elf" (2024), bronze
Since the 1990s, Lüpertz's artistic focus has increasingly turned to biblical themes and ancient myths, which he realises not only in paintings and prints but also in sculptural form. The artist is interested in fundamental human emotions such as loneliness and fear of failure. In the present work, Lüpertz appears to be referring to Max Klinger's depiction of "Bear and Elf" from 1881. Each of the sculptures from the small edition of 16 copies is hand-coloured by the artist.
Bronze sculpture, painted, 2024. 16 copies (10 copies marked with Arabic numerals and 6 copies numbered in Roman numerals), signed and stamped Kunstgießerei Schmäke. Height: 40 cm. Width: 17 cm. Depth: 17 cm.
Producer: ARTES Kunsthandelsgesellschaft mbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hannover, Deutschland E-Mail: info@kunsthaus-artes.de
About Markus Lüpertz
Markus Lüpertz, born in 1941 in Reichenberg in Bohemia, has earned international recognition for his art. His extensive oeuvre alternates between representational and abstract phases.
In the 60s and 70s, he created his “dithyrambic” works, whose stylistic characteristics are primarily pathos, theatricality and classicizing components. In the 80s in particular, Lüpertz paraphrased works by the classicist Nicolas Poussin. Another new phase in his work can be identified in the 1990s. The Bible and legends now become a theme not only in paintings but also in sculpture. Here he deals with elementary human emotions such as loneliness or failure.
Markus Lüpertz claims his place in the world with a few words: “there is no remedy against me i am like the rain i make the flowers bloom, the earth breathe, the world in you bearable. Rejoice, for I am afraid beware of my paintings hang them up turn them face to the wall but I beg you, let me live.”
After studying art in Krefeld and Düsseldorf from 1956-61, he moved to Berlin. With his figurative painting, he is counted among the “Junge Wilde”, who replaced the abstract informal in the 1960s. His motifs are often reduced to individual objects, which he stages monumentally.
Markus Lüpertz taught at the State Academy of Art in Düsseldorf. As its rector, he succeeded Joseph Beuys from 1988 to 2009.
The artist now lives and works in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Karlsruhe. His works can be found in many leading collections and museums of modern art around the world. Markus Lüpertz's works are sought-after and generally sell out quickly. They have excellent prospects for dynamic growth in value.
In spring 2015, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris organized an extensive retrospective of Lüpertz's work, which reinforced the artist's international relevance.
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.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, 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.