Klaus Vrieslander

Klaus Vrieslander *1940 to † 2019

Born in Munich in 1940, the artist Klaus Vrieslander had his first exhibition of portrait busts of Federal Chancellor Ludwig Erhard in Munich at the age of 22. A year later, in 1963, he made six marble busts for the Hall of Fame in Munich. In 1966 the Goldene Hand was created, a six meter high sculpture that stood on Leopoldstrasse in front of the Citta 2000[1] in Munich until 1973. While studying philosophy and art history at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Klaus Vrieslander headed the Depot cultural center. in collaboration with Joseph Beuys, John Cage and Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

In 1973 Klaus Vrieslander had his first museum exhibition in the Municipal Gallery in the Lenbachhaus in Munich. In the same year, the work of art Peace was created on the occasion of the reopening of the Suez Canal. Until 1980, Klaus Vrieslander was a visiting professor at the University of Cairo. Portrait busts were created between 1976 and 1995, e.g. by Willy Brandt, Herbert von Karajan, Franz Josef Strauss, Albert Einstein and Alfred Kolping.

In 1996, Klaus Vrieslander presented a.o. at the Deutsche Bank (Berlin), at the Montserat Gallery (New York), at the Galerie Mèautis (Munich), at the architects Engel & Völkers (Munich) and Giesecke (New York). In 1998 he created the Victoria trophy for the ARD sports gala.

In recent years, portraits of August Everding, Muhammad Ali, Father Rupert Mayer, Pope John XXIII and Joseph Beuys have been created. In 2000 he exhibited at the Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou (Canton, China) and at Palais Massabni, Beirut (Lebanon). At the World Exhibition in Hanover, he showed portrait busts of contemporary witnesses in Schloss Schaumburg-Lippe/Bückeburg, e.g. Klaus von Bismarck (WDR Director and President of the Goethe-Institut), Rolf E. Breuer, Eberhard von Kuenheim and Heinrich von Pierer.

Klaus Vrieslander lives as a freelance sculptor, draftsman and artist in Munich and teaches art, cultural theory and life drawing at the Academy on Einsteinstraße U5, Munich.

Exhibitions

1957 First exhibition together with Princess Pilar of Bavaria and Fritz Winter in the Arche Noah cultural center in Munich.

1962 First solo exhibition in the gallery at Mutti Bräu, Munich. Decorative ceramics for Harrod’s London and Bloomingdales, New York. Seating set for Continental, Cologne Furniture Fair.

1963 Official portrait bust of Federal Chancellor Ludwig Erhard. Grand Prize for Sculpture, Monte Carlo, Monaco. Marble busts for the Hall of Fame (Munich).

1964 First environmental artworks.
1965 First biokinetic facade designs.
1969–72 head of the Depot cultural center. “Depot is a total work of art.” (Quote: Harald Szeemann)
1973 First solo museum exhibition in the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich. “Para-Art, Figure Sets, Inscriptions”.

1973 Peace, the official artwork to mark the reopening of the Suez Canal. An international, interdisciplinary work of art with the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, the University of Design, Linz, the University of the Arts, Berlin and the Helwan University in Cairo. The art project was supported by the UN, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Egyptian state

1994 Solo exhibition State Majoloka Manufactory Karlsruhe AG
1996 solo exhibition Deutsche Bank, Berlin.
1996 solo exhibition Montserrat Gallery, Manhattan/New York.
1997–98 Solo exhibition Edition Welcome for Lufthansa.
1998 Exhibition Architect. Giesecke, Manhattan/New York.
1996 Solo exhibition Kunstkreis Schering.
2002 Exhibition of portraits in the one-column hall of the Residenz, Munich.
2009 Three gallery exhibitions in New York.

Actions / action art

1972 Public talks with Joseph Beuys at documenta 5
1989 founding member of the German-Spanish Cultural Senate
1997 Hommage à Jean Jacque Rousseau, Lake Biel, Switzerland
2001 Venice Biennale, Arsenale di Venezia Art-Sleep (action art)
2007 action art in the town hall of Göttingen.
2009 Venice Biennale, Arsenale di Venezia Freedom (installation)
2010 Action Art, Faculty of Fine Arts, West Bohemian University in Pilsen.
2010 action art in Neubeuern Castle.

Awards

2001 Mercury Awards, New York.

Trophies

1997 Victoria, the ARD trophy for the top athletes and TV presenters in Germany
1999 Trophy for the Bavarian cabaret prize BR.[2] 2006 Seneca portrait bust as an award for the Federal Ministry of Economics [3] 2009 Trophy Grand Film Prize of the Academy U5
2009 Trophy Best Nude Drawing Academy U5

Portraits

1963 Chancellor Ludwig Erhard
1998 August Everding, Muhammad Ali, Father Rupert Mayer SJ, Pope John XXIII, Joseph Beuys.
2000 Eberhard von Kuenheim, Heinrich von Pierer, Diana Spencer, Hilmar Kopper.
2001 Marion Countess Dönhoff, Alois Grillmeier, Otto von Habsburg, Philipp Ernst zu Schaumburg-Lippe.
2002 Friede Springer, Hans Zehetmair.
2009 Large portrait bust of King Ludwig II for the Hall of Fame, Munich.
2009 Reinhard Mohn
2010 Albert Einstein portrait bust for the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
2012 Wolfgang A Herrmann
Large sculptures in public space (selection)

1966 Goldene Hand in Leopoldstraße, Munich (7 m high)
1976 Goose hanger fountain in Schierling (Upper Palatinate).
1979 Life-size, bronze group of figures together, understanding, feeling, grasping for the Burkhart-Gymnasium Pfaffenberg.
1984 Life-size group of figures for the Catholic Day, Munich: Trust in life – together.
1989 Flute Player Fountain, Hilton Hotel Munich
Bronze figure flute player in front of the flute player fountain of the Hilton Hotel in Munich by Klaus Vrieslander.
2002 Six meter high tubular steel figures that were planted, Munich

Publication

2001 Edition Philosophen University of Philosophy, Munich.

Literature

Roth-Grasser: In Schwabing. Nymphenburg publishing house 1958
Pitt Koch: Schwabing. Süddeutscher Verlag Munich 1958[4] Monika Bachmayer, Peter Schmitt: Karlsruher Majolika 1901-2001: 100 years of art ceramics of the 20th century. DRW publishing house Weihnbrenner 2001[5] Katinka Neureuter, Jutta Kautny, Silvia Hauptmann: Guest with prominent dogs. Edition Neureuter, Leipzig 2003[6] Helmut Friedel (ed.): 75 years Municipal Gallery in the Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau Munich. Municipal gallery in the Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau Munich 2004[7] Martin Arz: Schwabing: Guide for Munich. Hirschkäfer Verlag 2016[8] Hans Ries. [Ed. by Theodor Brüggemann]: Illustrations and illustrators of children’s and youth books in German-speaking countries 1871 – 1914 [9]