Dieter Eidmann
Inside and outside
"Artists who did not want to submit to the prevailing constraints developed the most diverse forms of refusal - including intellectualisation or pragmatic refusal through subjective art."
Dieter Eidmann
The sculptor Dieter Eidmann (1940-2017) has left behind a remarkable body of work, a small selection of which the Eisenkunstguss Museum is presenting this year. This special event was prompted by the donation of two large-format sculptures made from the deep black natural stone „Schwarzer Schwede“ (Black Swede), whose surface bears resemblance to cast iron.
Eidmann understood his method of work as a search. In the process of creating his sculptures, to which he would devote up to four years each, the artist developed the perfect shape for the stone. In the process, he immersed himself unreservedly in the texture and character of his material. The shaping - a highly sensitive approach from the outside to the inside - was done exclusively with hammer, chisel and diamond abrasive paper.
His models, which the artist himself ultimately regarded as autonomous works, are important waymarks in this process. They reflect various intermediate stages on the artist's path to the finished sculpture.
With 13 models as well as 2 sketches and an early photograph, the exhibition reflects the development of the stone sculptures from first inspiration to final polish.
This year's exhibition "Dieter Eidmann. Inside and Outside" shows a selection with 16 of his works, including 13 models as well as two sketches and an early photograph. The sculptures and works on paper reflect the development of the stone sculptures from first inspiration to final polish.
Dieter Eidmann was born in Wuppertal in 1940. At the age of 16, he began a three-year apprenticeship as a goldsmith. This was followed by studies at the Werkkunstschule in Wuppertal. From 1961 to 1968, Eidmann studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin, specialising in sculpture, and was a master student of Karl Hartung‘s.
After his studies, the artist worked in various fields, including as an educator and gallery owner. From 1988, he worked as a freelance sculptor, first in Wuppertal, later in Aschersleben/ Vorpommern, where he died in 2017 and where his memorial studio is located today.
