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Irmgard Biernath
Homage à Kahnweiler

1984

About the Item

Irmgard Biernath (1905 Waldheim in Saxony - 1998 Mainz), Hommage à Kahnweiler, 1984. Terracotta relief, burnished red body, 43.5 x 38 cm, mounted on support plate, in wooden frame 57 x 49.5 cm, monogrammed "IB" at lower right. - Isolated patina losses, but overall good condition, frame slightly bumped. - The Appearance of Genius- This homage to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler shows the gallerist and art theorist as Pablo Picasso portrayed him in his lithographic portrait of 1957. As an innovative Parisian gallery owner, Kahnweiler had exclusively represented Picasso since 1911, while Picasso had painted his famous portrait of Kahnweiler the previous year as a major work of Cubism. And it is Picasso who appears at the centre of Irmgard Biernath's image. Here, his face echoes the features of the self-portrait he painted in 1907 in the Prague National Gallery. His eyes are wide open as he gazes into the distance, surrounded by the works of his artistic vision that have already taken shape. On the right is the bronze "Man with Sheep" from 1943, and on the left a flower representing Picasso's painterly work. Kahnweiler, who was closely associated with Picasso's work, looks at the sculptures on the table in front of him with great attention and admiration. His head joins the sculptures and the flower to form a circle that surrounds Picasso's face like a wreath of honor, so the homage to Kahnweiler is first and foremost a homage to Picasso. As a sculptor inspired by Picasso's work, Irmgard Biernath herself follows in the footsteps of the artistic genius, whose face she makes appear on her relief as on the sweat shroud of Veronica. About the artist Irmgard Biernath worked as a teacher in Berlin from 1929. Because of her denunciation in 1941, she voluntarily resigned from teaching. After the Second World War, she followed her true calling as an artist and studied from 1946 at the Berlin-Weißensee School of Art with Bernhard Heiliger and from 1948 at the Nuremberg Academy of Fine Arts, where she was a master student of Hans Wimmer, among others. To earn a living, she taught art at the Anne Frank Realschule in Mainz from 1953 to 1971, for which she created a bust of Anne Frank. From 1958 to 1964 she was also a lecturer at the University Institute for Art and Work Education in Mainz. In addition, she was active at the Volkshochschule (adult education center), where she established the field of art education with her concept "Forming Hands" and left her mark for decades. From the 1960s on, Irmgard Biernath devoted herself more and more to her own work, working exclusively as a freelance artist since 1971. Irmgard Biernath's artistic estate is housed in the museum of her hometown of Waldheim, where the Irmgard Biernath Foundation is also located. Irmgard Biernath received numerous awards. Among others, she received the Federal Cross of Merit in 1976, the Rembrandt Medal in 1990, and the Mainz Plate, also in 1990. Exhibitions Kennen Sie ...? Biernath! Werke aus dem Nachlass der Bildhauerin Irmgard Biernath, Kulturzentrum Waldheim 2011. Harmonie und Gleichgewicht im Werk der Irmgard Biernath, Stadt- und Museumshaus Waldheim, 2022. Selected Bibliography Irmgard Biernath (Hrsg.): Irmgard Biernath, Mainz 1990. Marlene Hübel: Irmgard Biernath. Ein Lebenswerk, Mainz 1995. Saur. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, Band 10, München - Leipzig 1995, S. 576-577. GERMAN VERSION Irmgard Biernath (1905 Waldheim in Sachsen - 1998 Mainz), Hommage à Kahnweiler, 1984. Terracotta-Relief, brünierter roter Scherben, 43,5 x 38 cm, auf Trägerplatte montiert, im Holzrahmen 57 x 49,5 cm, rechts unten mit „IB“ monogrammiert. - Sehr vereinzelte Verluste der Patina, insgesamt aber wohlerhalten, Rahmen etwas bestoßen. - Die Erscheinung des Genius - Die Hommage an Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler zeigt den Galeristen und Kunsttheoretiker in der Art wie ihn Pablo Picasso in seinem lithographischen Porträt von 1957 dargestellt hat. Als innovativer Pariser Galerist hatte Kahnweiler Picasso ab 1911 exklusiv vertreten, während Picasso im Jahr zuvor sein berühmtes Porträt Kahnweilers als ein Hauptwerk des Kubismus malte. Und Picasso ist es, der im Zentrum des Bildes von Irmgard Biernath erscheint. Dabei folgt sein Antlitz den Zügen des 1907 geschaffenen Selbstporträts der Prager Nationalgalerie. Mit weit geöffneten Augen schaut er in die Ferne, während er bereits von den gestaltgewordenen Werken seiner künstlerischen Vision umgeben ist. Rechts neben ihm steht die Bronze „Mann mit Schaf“ aus dem Jahre 1943 und links ist eine Blume zu sehen, die für Picassos malerischen Werk einsteht. Voller Aufmerksamkeit betrachtet der mit dem Werk Picassos eng verbundenen Kahnweiler die vor ihm auf dem Tisch situierten Skulpturen, zu denen er bewundernd aufblickt. Dabei verbindet sich sein Kopf mit den Skulpturen und der Blume zu einer Picassos Antlitz wie ein Ehrenkranz umgebenden Kreisform, weshalb die Hommage an Kahnweiler vor allem eine Hommage an Picasso ist. Als eine von Picassos Oeuvre inspirierte Bildhauerin tritt Irmgard Biernath selbst in die Fußstapfen des Künstlergenies, dessen Antlitz sie auf ihrem Relief wie auf dem Schweißtuch der Veronika zur Erscheinung bringt. zur Künstlerin Irmgard Biernath war ab 1929 Lehrerin in Berlin. Aufgrund ihrer Denunziation 1941 schied sie freiwillig aus dem Schuldienst aus. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg folgte sie ihrer eigentlichen Berufung als Künstlerin und studierte ab 1946 an der Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee bei Bernhard Heiliger und ab 1948 an der Akademie der Bildenden Künste Nürnberg, wo sie unter anderem Meisterschülerin bei Hans Wimmer war. Um den Brotererb zu sichern, war sie von 1953 bis 1971 Kunstlehrerin an der Mainzer Anne Frank Realschule, für die sie eine Büste der Anne Frank schuf. Von 1958 bis 1964 war sie auch Dozentin am Hochschulinstitut für Kunst- und Werkerziehung Mainz. Zudem war sie an der Volkshochschule tätig, wo sie den Bereich Kunsterziehung mit ihrem Konzept der „Formende Hände“ aufbaute und über Jahrzehnte hinweg prägte. Ab den 1960er Jahre widmetet sich Irmgard Biernath zusehend ihrem eigenen Schaffen, um dann ab 1971 ausschließlich als freischaffende Künstlerin tätig zu sein. Der künstlerische Nachlass befindet sich im Museum ihrer Geburtsstadt Waldheim, wo auch die Irmgard-Biernath-Stiftung ansässig ist. Irmgard Biernath wurden zahlreiche Ehrungen zuteil. So erhielt sie unter anderem 1976 das Bundesverdienstkreuz, 1990 die Rembrandt-Plakette und ebenfalls 1990 den Mainzer Teller. Ausstellungen Kennen Sie ...? Biernath! Werke aus dem Nachlass der Bildhauerin Irmgard Biernath, Kulturzentrum Waldheim 2011. Harmonie und Gleichgewicht im Werk der Irmgard Biernath, Stadt- und Museumshaus Waldheim, 2022. Auswahlbibliographie Irmgard Biernath (Hrsg.): Irmgard Biernath, Mainz 1990. Marlene Hübel: Irmgard Biernath. Ein Lebenswerk, Mainz 1995. Saur. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, Band 10, München - Leipzig 1995, S. 576-577.
  • Creator:
    Irmgard Biernath (1905 - 1998, German)
  • Creation Year:
    1984
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)Width: 14.97 in (38 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
  • Medium:
    Terracotta
  • Movement & Style:
    Contemporary
  • Period:
    1980-1989
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Berlin, DE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2438213127682
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