Bildnis Hans Erni
Material / Technique
Bronze, Ex aus Ed. von 6Dimensions
51 x 25 x 27 cmInventory number
HEM-5Legend
Rolf Brem: Portrait bust of Hans Erni, 1991
Bronze, produced in an edition of 6
51 x 25 x 27 cm
Hans Erni Foundation, Lucerne
Sculpted portraiture played an important role in the oeuvre of Lucerne-born Rolf Brem (1926-2014). In his early years as a student of the Zurich sculptor Karl Geiser, Brem created portraits of people in his immediate environment in a classically calm, faintly stylised manner. Later came numerous representations of internationally renowned cultural heavyweights such as the writer and illustrator Günter Grass, the theologian Hans Küng and the musician James Galway – all characterised by a roughened surface bearing traces of the act of creation.
Brem typically confined himself to the head and face as the bearers of individuality; the portrait of his friend and fellow Lucerne artist is no different: the sculptor depicts the 82-year-old Erni in a realistic and unembellished style bearing the hallmarks of advancing age: furrowed forehead, heavy bags under the eyes, wrinkled neck. The gaze of the sitter is – in complete contrast to Erni’s decidedly communicative nature – directed inwards rather than towards the viewer. The way Brem treats the two halves of the face is striking: while the left half with its slightly closed eye appears to show fatigue after eight decades of a busy life, the right half with the open eye and slightly upturned corner of the mouth attests to the energy that characterised the artist in his late years.