AN ACT OF FREEDOM -
100 YEARS OF WILHELM LOTH
OPENING EXHIBITION OF THE Spanish Tower SCULPTURE GARDEN
September 12, 2020 to September 21, 2021
Impressionen aus dem Skulpturengarten (Foto: René Antonoff)On September 24, 2020, Darmstadt sculptor Wilhelm Loth, who died in 1993, would have been 100 years old. Known above all for his characteristic female torsos, the artist is still present in the cultural life of his hometown today. The Darmstadt Art Prize, which he himself was awarded in 1955, has borne his name since 1995. The prize, which is still regularly awarded to renowned national and international artists, is financially supported by the BS Kulturstiftung. The foundation has a special connection to Wilhelm Loth and is therefore commemorating the artist with a retrospective to mark the opening of its sculpture garden at the Spanish Tower on Darmstadt's Rosenhöhe.
The approximately 20 sculptures made of bronze, aluminum, iron and plastic come from all of Wilhelm Loth's creative phases. Embedded in the vegetation of the newly created exhibition grounds, the presentation enables an exciting dialog between the designed human form and the surrounding natural landscape.
The artist Wihelm Loth
As a key representative of the Darmstadt art scene, Wilhelm Loth played a decisive role in the cultural reconstruction of his home town. Always committed to the human form in his artistic work, he is part of a generation of artists striving for a different approach to the representation of figurative content, unencumbered by the past. This striving is reflected in his consistent focus on the depiction of the unclothed female body. Figuratively individual and abstract at the same time, for Loth the nude becomes a symbol of a modern self-image and a contemporary image of women.
However, his torsos neither correspond to a common ideal of beauty nor are they an expression of classical perfection. Instead, according to the artist himself, he draws on “... those forms that real life offers.” In this naturalistic conception of figures, characterized by great physical presence, he demonstrates the utmost consistency. Innovative and unique at the same time, he succeeded in significantly enriching sculptural work in Germany in the second half of the 20th century.
Exhibited Artworks
EXHIBITION CATALOG
The exhibition catalog EIN AKT DER FREIHEIT - 100 JAHRE WILHELM LOTH has been published by Justus-von-Liebig-Verlag. The 80-page catalog contains, among other things, an interview by Bettina John-Willeke with the executor of the estate, Alexander Heil. It is available during the opening hours of the Spanish Tower Sculpture Garden and via the Justus-von-Liebig-Verlag website (plus postage).
Price: EUR 19,80
Dimensions: 22 cm x 22 cm
Number of pages: 80 pages
Publisher: BS Kulturstiftung, Darmstadt, 2020
ISBN: 978-3-87390-445-3
»Loth was often accused of voyeurism« - Former models talk about their collaboration with the artist in the exhibition
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