Death masks by the sculptor Holger Schmidt
The exhibition of death masks by the sculptor Holger Schmidt is a premiere of a very special kind. Where can you find anything comparable?
The Staatliche Gipsformerei in Berlin probably has a large collection of death masks. The same applies to the Schiller Museum in Marbach. The collection of death masks at Princetown University in New Jersey is also famous.
But there is probably no comparable presentation of death masks by a visual artist in Germany. In this exhibition, the Kunstraum-Ziethen is showing a selection of contemporary and historical death masks from the sculptor's collection. In addition to the copies of the contemporary masks, the presentation includes historical death masks from the Schmidt collection, including those of Chopin, Liebknecht, Mahler, Mendelsohn, Menzel, Mirabeau, Scharnhorst, Tasso and Uhland.
Born in Duisburg in 1958, the artist was particularly influenced by the sculptor Kurt Sandweg during his art studies at the University of Duisburg. In his home town, Holger Schmidt has been a lecturer in casting technology and sculpture in the university's art department since 1987. Since the 1980s, Holger Schmidt has also specialized in the casting and production of death masks. For years, Holger Schmidt's artistic work has had no other theme than people. He concentrates particularly on figurative reproduction. He also presents his artistic works in his studio and residence in Rubkow.
Holger Schmidt's death masks are made of plaster, e.g. those of Rio Reiser, and some are made of bronze, such as the mask of Cardinal Höffner from Cologne. Schmidt knows from his many years of experience that they are an important mourning aid for relatives: "They are something three-dimensionally real that makes death tangible and thus gives it a dignified face." For many relatives, the sight of the usually relaxed and calm facial expression of the deceased is comforting. They want to capture this expression. Holger Schmidt preserves this age-old tradition. On behalf of relatives, he creates death masks that immortalize the last, peaceful facial expression of the deceased.
Vernissage Saturday, 23.11.2024, 15:00h
Opening hours: Sat. and Sun. 13:00-17:00
until Sunday, 13.04.2025
KUNSTRAUM-ZIETHEN
Dorfstr. 9
17390 Ziethen
www.kunstraum-ziethen.de
https://www.facebook.com/Holger.Schmidt.Bildhauer/
