Christa Sammler (born 23 December 1932) is a German

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Life

Christa Sammler was born in Breslau (as Wrocław was known at that time). Between 1948 and 1951 she received drawing lessons from Alfred Herzog in

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...

. 1951 was the year in which she passed her school final exam (''"Abitur"'') which opened the way for a university-level education. She studied between 1951 and 1956 at the

Dresden Academy of Fine Arts The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (German ''Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden''), often abbreviated HfBK Dresden or simply HfBK, is a vocational university of visual arts located in Dresden, Germany. The present institution is the product o ...

where she was taught by Walter Arnold. However, it was probably more important in defining her own approach that between 1956 and 1958 she was a "Master student" (''"Meisterschülerin"'') with

Gustav Seitz Gustav Seitz (11 September 1906 – 26 October 1969) was a German sculptor and artist. Life Seitz was born in the Neckarau quarter of Mannheim, the son of a plasterer. He attended school locally till 1921 and then embarked on a traineeship in ...

at the East German Academy of Arts. She has worked in Berlin as a freelance artist since 1958. Alongside her work as a professional sculptor Sammler has made it a priority to focus on rescuing and preserving historical art works and buildings. Projects that have benefitted from her interventions over the years have included the

mews A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

Dutch Quarter The Dutch Quarter (''Holländisches Viertel'') is a neighborhood in Potsdam, consisting of 134 red Dutch brick buildings, almost all of which have been renovated. It was built from 1733 to 1740 and designed by Jan Bouman following the order of F ...

and old building facades at the

Neues Museum The Neues Museum (English: ''New Museum'') is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. Built from 1843 to 1855 by order of King Frederick William IV of Prussia in Neoclassical and Renaissance Revival styles, it ...

in Berlin. As a member of the governing executive of the Berlin Historical uildingsSociety, in 2001 she successfully petitioned

Walter Momper Walter Momper (born 21 February 1945) is a German politician and former Governing Mayor of Berlin (West Berlin 1989–1990, reunited Berlin 1990–1991). Whilst Governing Mayor, he served as President of the Bundesrat in 1989/90. He was at th ...

, Berlin's former mayor who by this time was president of the Berlin Chamber of Deputies, to ensure an "appropriate" location for the memorial to the reformer Baron vom Stein, in front of the Berlin City Parliament. It was reported in 2014 that Christa Sammler had transferred her entire artistic estate to the Winckelmann Museum in

Stendal The Hanseatic City of Stendal () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of the Stendal District and the unofficial capital of the Altmark region. Geography Situated west of the Elbe valley, the Stendal town centre is located s ...

(an hour or so to the west of Berlin).

Prizes and awards (selection)

* 1976:

Will Lammert Prize The Will Lammert Prize (german: Will-Lammert-Preis) was an East German art award named after the sculptor Will Lammert. Between 1962 and 1992, it was awarded at irregular intervals to young sculptors by the (East) German Academy of Arts. There ...

from the East German Academy of Arts * 1985:

Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic The Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic (German: ''Kunstpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik'') was an East German state award bestowed on individuals for contributions in various fields of art. History The Art Prize was annually a ...

* 1988:

Käthe Kollwitz Prize The Käthe Kollwitz Prize (german: Käthe-Kollwitz-Preis) is a German art award named after artist Käthe Kollwitz. Established in 1960 by the then-Academy of Arts of the German Democratic Republic (nowadays the Academy of Arts, Berlin), the pri ...

from the East German Academy of Arts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sammler, Christa German women sculptors Artists from Wrocław 1932 births Living people 21st-century German women artists East German artists East German women 20th-century German women