Olaf Metzel Bücher

WOLS ist eine der schillerndsten Künstlerpersönlichkeiten des vergangenen Jahrhunderts. Im engen Kontakt mit den großen Künstlern und Dichtern des Paris der 1930er Jahre beginnt er seine künstlerische Karriere als Autodidakt mit dem Medium der Photographie. Auf seinen photographischen Exkursionen setzt er das andere Paris ins Bild, indem er die kleinen Wunder, das Abseitige und Fremde jenseits der schillernden Fassaden fokussiert. Als er zu Beginn des II. Weltkrieges, als Deutscher in Frankreich, in unterschiedlichen Internierungslagern zubringen muss, beginnt er zu zeichnen. Es entstehen wundersame Aquarelle, die eine skurril-phantastische Bilderwelt der menschlichen Existenz entwerfen – es entsteht die Idee eines künstlerischen Gegenentwurfs zur Welt – der CIRCUS WOLS. In einem künstlerischen Dialog werden die Werke von WOLS konfrontiert und parallel geführt mit Werken anderer bedeutender Künstler. Darunter u. a. James Ensor, László Moholy-Nagy, Marcel Broodthaers, Philip Guston, und Cy Twombly, aber auch Zeitgenossen wie Andreas Gursky, Sergej Jensen, Norbert Schwontkowski und Tatiana Trouvé.

Jerg-Ratgeb-Prize 2018 for Olaf Metzel! Every four years, the Jerg Ratgeb Prize is awarded by the HAP Grieshaber Foundation in Reutlingen. In addition to Carlfriedrich Claus and Lucian Freud in previous years, it had last been won by Joannis Avramidis in 2014. In 2018, the prize will go to Olaf Metzel. Originally co-founded by HAP Grieshaber and Rolf Szymanski, the prize stands for the »freedom of art and for nonviolence in the struggle for more humanity«. Jerg Ratgeb (1480–1526) was a painter from Southern Germany whose altarpieces can still be seen today in the parish church of Schwaigern. During the Peasants' War, the insurgents elected him to the War Council as Chancellor; at the side of Duke Ulrich he fought for the recovery of his territories, which eventually led to him being brought to justice in Pforzheim in 1526. He was convicted of treason and »torn apart by four horses«. The book, published on the occasion of the award ceremony and in connection with the exhibition at Kunstmuseum Spendhaus in Reutlingen, presents a chronological retrospective with exhibition views of Olaf Metzel's work, which has stood out from the very beginning by a sometimes harsh realism and spectacular settings, which won the artist not only international recognition, but also quite often provoked a certain amount of hostility. Exhibition: Kunstmuseum Spendhaus Reutlingen, 5/5–8/7/2018

Dokumentation der Ausstellungsreihe 2004-2005 mit Nevin Aladag, Simone Böhm, Nick Bötticher, Céline Cellocco, Christian Engelmann, Beate Engl, Andrea Faciu, Jens Haaning, Leopold W. Hafner, Ulrich Hakel, Benjamin Heisenberg, Franka Kassner featuring Uli Aigner, Daniel Knorr, Alexander Laner, Stefanie Pelz, Michael Sailstorfer, Martin Schmidt, Michael Schrattenthaler, Marco Schuler, Stefanie Senge, Florian Slotawa, Bruno Wank, Amelie von Wulffen/Henning Bohl.

Die Skulptur „13.4.1981“, die Olaf Metzel 1987 für den Skulpturenboulevard Kurfürstendamm Tauentzien zur 750-Jahr-Feier Berlins geschaffen hat, ist im November 2001 an den Spreespeichern in Berlin-Friedrichshain wiederaufgestellt worden.

Opinions on Hans von Marées’ work (1837-1887) are polarized; some view him as a failed artist, while others see him as a precursor to modernism in Germany. This enduring contradiction raises questions about the significance of his paintings, particularly in relation to contemporary artist Olaf Metzel (*1952). Metzel proposed a dual exhibition to foster dialogue, asserting that the neoidealistic approach of the German Romans, to which von Marées belonged, is part of the European vision currently under political scrutiny. The exhibition juxtaposes von Marées’ paintings with Metzel’s advanced sculptures, including his piece "Turkish Delight" (2006), which explores classical themes of portraiture and the human figure. Metzel boldly confronts political issues, as seen in his large aluminum work "Lampedusa" (2015), which incorporates newspaper articles on the refugee crisis. This stark contrast to the poetic gardens of historical painting highlights Metzel's intent to modernize von Marées’ oeuvre while emphasizing the ongoing necessity for artistic provocation. The accompanying volume documents the exhibition and includes lectures on the current state of this debate.

Olaf Metzel (*1952 inBerlin) is one of the most important contemporary German sculptors. His works for public space are explicit critiques of politics and society, and always attract a great deal of attention. 13.04.1981, consisting of piles of road barriers, is probably his most famous work--created in 1987, it makes reference to the 1981 Berlin riots triggered by a false report of the death of RAF prisoner Sigurd Debus. The sculpture was fiercely protested, so much so that the Berlin Senate finally ordered that it be dismantled. Metzel's 2006 sculpture Turkish Delight depicts a female nude wearing a headscarf, and is a reflection on the controversy between Occidental and Islamic cultures; on exhibit on Vienna's Karlsplatz, it was the target of vandalism and consequently had to be removed. Featuring essays by expert authors and the artist's own commentary on his work, as well as sketches and models that provide insight into the way the sculptures develop, this volume is a profound survey of Olaf Metzel's public works from 1982 to 2007