"Christus aus Nowgorod"
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8:20 pm
I just got off the phone. The person I talked to was Gerhard Rommel. No, not the former lord major of Stuttgart but the sculptor Gerhard Rommel who created the "Christus aus Nowgorod". I bought this via ebay from a seller in Beelitz (view on google maps).
Gerhard Rommel was born in Schalkau in 1934. From 1948 to 1951 he visited a school for toys and ceramics, from 1952 to 1958 he studied at the Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst in Berlin-Weißensee (Heinrich Drake and Theo Balden). From 1963 to 1965 he was a Meisterschüler of bei Fritz Cremer at the Deutsche Akademie der Künste, Berlin. It was during that time that he went to Nowgorod, where he found the inspiration for this lithography.
I called his number earlier today and reached his wife (at least I think it's his wife) who quickly confirmed that this artwork had actually been created by her husband. However he couldn't come to the phone right now. "He's walking the dog." I asked if it was ok to call later and she happily confirmed that this was indeed alright.
The internet holds quite a bit of information on the sculptor who created a number of statues you can find in and around Berlin. He also created a number of coins in the former east Germany. Actually, he was one of the busiest coin designers between 1960 and 1980.
I called again at around 8pm. She picked up the phone again. "This is Tommi, we talked earlier today ..." She remembered and went to get Mr Rommel on the phone. After a few moments later he was on the line.
He, too, confirmed that he had made this artwork, a lithography based upon a stone sculpture in Nowgorod, Russia. He had been there for a few weeks in 1964 and had liked the sculpture a lot. He then printed "seven or eight" of these in 1966. Today he only owns one of the prints, the rest were sold or given away.
Unfortunately he couldn't remember who the person was he gave this artwork to. Equally unfortunately he said he couldn't come down to Stuttgart to visit the project, but we agreed that I send him some pictures and he sends me his catalogue.
He is pretty busy with exhibitions around Berlin these days and on April 18th, 2008, three of his smaller sculptures will be auctioned off. The limit starts at 1.100,- Euros, the highest estimated value is over 4.000,- Euros. So this lithography might have been a bargain at 1,99 Euros ...
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Links (german):
Works by Gerhard Rommel in Berlin.
Coin designer Gerhard Rommel at Numispedia.
Coins designed by Rommel.
Information about the artist.
"CHRISTUS AUS NOWGOROD"
View larger versions on flickr.
MEASUREMENTS: 40 x 54 cm (w x h)
SIZE: 0,216 m²
BOUGHT ON: January 7th, 2008
IN: Beelitz, Germany (map)
AT: ebay
PRICE PAID: 1,99 Euro
DISTANCE TO STUTTGART: 582 km
TOMMI BREM © 2008