Gerda Frömel (1931 – 3 August 1975) was a sculptor, born in Czechoslovakia, who lived for an extended period in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, where her work received critical acclaim. She received commissions for sculpture and stained glass and exhibited at the

Irish Exhibition of Living Art The Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA) was a yearly exhibition of Irish abstract expressionism and avant-garde Irish art that was started in 1943 by Mainie Jellett. Background World War II Ireland During World War II, Ireland remained ...

, the Independent Artists Exhibition, and The Dawson Gallery. She received awards from the Arts Council, the

Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland ( ga, Institiúid Ríoga Ailtirí na hÉireann) founded in 1839, is the "competent authority for architects and professional body for Architecture in the Republic of Ireland." The RIAI's purpose ...

and the Waterford Glass Company.

Personal life

Gerda Frömel was born in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

in 1931, the eldest of four daughters, to an Austrian mother and German father. Her parents were forcibly required to leave shortly after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, in 1945, and try to return to Germany as refugees. They tried to settle in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and finally in Stuttgart. Frömel studied sculpture at the Arts Schools in Stuttgart, Darmstadt and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

from 1948-1952. Frömel met Werner Schürmann while in college in Munich. They married in 1955 and moved to Ireland in 1956, as Schürmann had been offered a post teaching metalwork at the

National College of Art and Design The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of th ...

. The couple lived in Woodtown Park, outside

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Counci ...

, where Schürmann started a foundry. They had four sons and a daughter. Tragically their daughter died aged two in a drowning accident. In 1966 Schürmann left Ireland and went back to Germany to become an opera singer. The couple didn't formally split for some years after, hoping to make the arrangement work.

Exhibiting and Awards

It was in Ireland that she began to exhibit her work. She worked on commissions including a particularly well-known piece called ''Sails'' for P.J.Carroll and Son,

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

. This was, at the time, the largest private sculptural commission in Ireland. Frömel also worked in stained glass for churches in Ireland and Germany, including a stained glass-window at St Brigid's Cathedral, Kildare. In 1957 she began to annually exhibit in the Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA), while in 1962 and 1963 she exhibited at the Independent Artists Exhibition 1962 and 1963. In 1964 and 1970 she had a solo exhibition in The Dawson Gallery, and a joint show there with Michael Scott in 1967. Frömel's work achieved critical acclaim. She won the Arts Council sculpture scholarship, the sculpture prize in the Irish Church Art Exhibition and the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland award in 1962. She received the Waterford Glass Company Award at the Oireachtas Art Exhibition in 1970. In 1973 she won a gold medal Oireachtas award for sculpture.

Death and legacy

Frömel died in a drowning accident on 3 August 1975 aged 44. Retrospectives of her work were held at the IELA in 1975, with a special display and a tribute to her; a more substantial one at the Municipal Gallery the following year; and in 2015 in the FE McWilliam Gallery,

Banbridge Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...

. Her work is held in many public collections, including the

Irish Museum of Modern Art The Irish Museum of Modern Art ( ga, Áras Nua-Ealaíne na hÉireann) also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. Located in Kilmainham, Dublin, the Museum pr ...

, the Carroll’s Collection and the Bank of Ireland. It has been included in landmark exhibitions such as ‘The Moderns’ (2010-2011), ensuring that her work "continues to be considered within the canon of Irish and international Modernism".

Personal life

Exhibiting and Awards

Death and legacy

References

Further reading