Artwork of the month October

Erwin Heerich, Sculpture, 1978

Erwin Heerich

* 1922 in Kassel, † 2004 in Meerbusch-Osterath, Germany


Sculpture, 1978


Belgian granite, 2 parts, base slab

Sculpture 180 x 108 x 72 cm,
base slab 5 x 156 x 120 cm

Purchased with funds from Stiftung Freunde des Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein

The Kassel-born artist began studying sculpture (together with Joseph Beuys) under Ewald Mataré at the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 1945, graduating as a master student in 1954. From 1969 to 1988 he taught sculpture as a professor at the Academy. Erwin Heerich is one of the most important German sculptors of the latter half of the 20th century.

As of 1960, drawing on gures, natural phenomena, and everyday objects, he began developing geometric bodies that are subject to a certain dimension and that can be regulated by units of measurement alone. The clarity of the concept enabled him to translate any design into a wide range of sizes and techniques. Cardboard models generally serve as his starting point.

Although Heerich's work is based on mathematical logic, intuition plays a key role. His seemingly rational sculptures frequently veer into the irrational, with the geometric forms often appearing so complicated that the viewer can no longer see through them rationally, but instead only in terms of their sensual appearance.

The sculpture Skulptur also belongs to this category of his oeuvre. Its two constituent parts are related to each other in such a way that together they form an elongated cuboid. Erwin Heerich divided the cuboid into two volumes with a ratio of 2:1. By means of an unfathoable process of folding, he created the complex void that lends to the sculpture its special lightness and fascination. What remains are the sensual impressions of the material and its properties and a constantly surprising play of light within the sculpture.

Friedemann Malsch

<b>Erwin Heerich, Sculpture, 1978</b>
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein highlights a work from the permanent collection each month throughout the year. Works from the collection of the Hilti Art Foundation are also included in this series on a regular basis.