Roman Johann Strobl (born May, 12, 1951 in
Kitzbühel) is an Austrian sculptor. He has lived in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
since 1999.
Strobl learnt to sculpt in his father's workshop.
Surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...
works inspired by his travels during the 1970s in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
were followed by a spell in Rome, during the 1980s, where he honed his skills in marble working under Prof. Sebastian Schadhauser. Strobl's marble sculptures were exhibited in 1986 in the ''Haus der Kunst'', in 1990 at ''Kubus Bremen'', and other venues.
His first
chainsaw
A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable gasoline-, electric-, or battery-powered saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pru ...
works were presented in 1998, in ''Schloß Kaps'' in Kitzbühel. Chainsaw portraits of
Bruno Bruni at an exhibition in Ahrensburg, in 2001, as well as
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germa ...
and
Franz Beckenbauer, at the 2002 Expo in Hanover were to follow. One further work worthy of mention is his portrait of conductor
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mehta's father was the fou ...
, created for the opening of the Munich opera festival, in 2005.
In addition to sculptures in wood, marble, and stone, Strobl's oeuvre also takes in a series of highly expressive picture cycles on canvas, as well as drawings. He has presented his sculptures publicly at venues in Zurich, Munich, Hanover and in Austria (''Kunst am Bau'' – architectural sculpture).
Together with Mechthild Schmidt, Strobl was responsible in 1997 for the redesign of the German film award, the ''Lola''. In 2001 he and his wife, Anne, created the prototype for the
Buddy Bear
''Buddy Bears'' are painted, life-size fiberglass bear sculptures developed by German businesspeople Klaus and Eva Herlitz, in cooperation with sculptor Roman Strobl. They have become a landmark of Berlin and are considered unofficial ambassado ...
, working closely together with
Eva and Klaus Herlitz.
[Eva and Klaus Herlitz: ''Buddy Bear Berlin'', 2012, ., page 5]
Pictures and sculptures by Strobl were exhibited for the first time in Paris, at ''La capitale Galerie'', in 2007.
Notes and references
External links
Website Roman Strobl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strobl, Roman
Austrian sculptors
Austrian male sculptors
1951 births
Living people