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''Kiepenkerl'' was originally a sandstone statue of a travelling merchant created by August Schmiemann in Münster, Germany in 1896. Destroyed in World War II, it was re-created in cast metal by Albert Mazzotti Jr in 1953. The statue now stands in a small square in the Old Quarter of Münster. In 1987 American sculptor Jeff Koons created a replica of the design in polished cast stainless steel.
A competition for a new statue was held immediately after the war ended. However, the new designs were vetoed by the mayor of Münster, . Subsequently, Albert Mazzotti Jr was commissioned to create a statue in bronze. It was inaugurated on 20 September 1953 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. Its location is Kiepenkerl Square, in the Old Quarter of Münster ().
For the 1987 Sculpture Projects Münster, American sculptor Jeff Koons created a replica of the statue in polished cast stainless steel. Koons produced an edition of three; one is on display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. ().
The guide for the Sculpture Projects Münster includes these notes by Georg Jappe:
Virtual Globe TrottingWaymarking
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiepenkerl 1896 sculptures 1953 sculptures 1987 sculptures Destroyed sculptures Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures by Jeff Koons Sculptures of the Smithsonian Institution Steel sculptures in Washington, D.C.
1896 statue
The original statue, like its successors, depicted a (literally "pannier guy": a travelling merchant or pedlar S: peddler with a carrying basket, whistle, knot stick and linen smock. It was carved from Baumberger sandstone by August Schmiemann and was inaugurated in Münster on 16 October 1896. The statue was destroyed by a US tank in World War II.1953 statue
A competition for a new statue was held immediately after the war ended. However, the new designs were vetoed by the mayor of Münster, . Subsequently, Albert Mazzotti Jr was commissioned to create a statue in bronze. It was inaugurated on 20 September 1953 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. Its location is Kiepenkerl Square, in the Old Quarter of Münster ().
1987 statue
For the 1987 Sculpture Projects Münster, American sculptor Jeff Koons created a replica of the statue in polished cast stainless steel. Koons produced an edition of three; one is on display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. ().
The guide for the Sculpture Projects Münster includes these notes by Georg Jappe:The Kiepenkerl monument symbolizes the man who comes to town with a few eggs, potatoes, and rabbits in his "Kiepe" (a huge basket carried on the back). Actually he is a "Kötter" (a tenant farmer). The statue, created by an academic sculptor, became especially popular when, during the war, everything was burnt down, only the statue remained standing and then was blasted by a tank crew. The will to survive during the hoarding times: as early as 1953, the city of Münster still in ruins, Theodor Heuss inaugurated a new life-size Kiepenkerl monument in bronze. Bronze is art. That is the only art in this restoration monument. Jeff Koons now has recast it in stainless steel which he calls the "material of the masses" (a highly complicated procedure: as the form does not correspond to any industrial standard, the various parts had to be smelted at 1800 degrees Centigrade and cast one by one and then welded together) and finally gave it a high mirror polish to create a "false front of luxury".
See also
*List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
This is a list of public art in Ward 2 of Washington, D.C..
This list applies only to works of public art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwork visible inside a museum.
Most of the works mentioned ...
References
External links
Virtual Globe Trotting
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiepenkerl 1896 sculptures 1953 sculptures 1987 sculptures Destroyed sculptures Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures by Jeff Koons Sculptures of the Smithsonian Institution Steel sculptures in Washington, D.C.