Gunter Demnig
Gunter Demnig (born 27 October 1947 in Berlin) is a German artist. He is best known for his Stolperstein ("stumbling block") memorials to the victims of National Socialist German Workers' Party persecution, including Jews, *sexuals, Romani and the disabled. The project places engraved br* stones in front of a former residence for a Holocaust victim who was deported and killed by National Socialist German Workers' Party Germany, began in Germany and has since spread, with more than 60,000 stones placed across 21 countries in Europe.
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 Works
- 3 Shows
- 4 Stolpersteine in different countries
- 5 References
- 6 External links
Biography
Gunter Demnig grew up in Nauen and Berlin and acquired his abitur in 1967. Later that year, he began studying creative education at Berlin University of the Arts with Professor Herbert Kaufmann. From 1969 to 1970, he studied industrial design there. In 1971, he transferred to the Kunsthochschule K*el, resuming his study of creative education and p*ed the first state examination in 1974.
That same year, he began studying art with Harry Kramer at the University of K*el. Following that, he spent two years planning, building and managing historical monuments, from 1977 to 1979. From 1980 to 1985, Demnig was an artistic-scientific colleague on the art faculty at the University of K*el.
In 1985, he opened his own studio in Cologne and worked on numerous local projects. Since 1994, he has also been involved with the IGNIS-Kulturzentrum (IGNIS Cultural Center).
Demnig's best known work is what he calls Stolpersteine. Stolperstein (in the singular) is the German word for "stumbling block". Demnig's Stolpersteine are small, cobblestone-sized br* memorials for the victims of National Socialism. Set into the pavement of sidewalks in front of the buildings where National Socialist German Workers' Party victims once lived or worked, they call attention both to the individual victim and the scope of the National Socialist German Workers' Party war crimes. About 61,000 Stolpersteine have been laid in 21 countries in Europe (July 2017), making the project the world's largest memorial.
Works
A Stolperstein in Berlin memorializing Max Kallmann. It reads:HERE LIVED
Max Kallmann
Born 1899
Escaped to France
Deported 30 June 1944
Murdered in Auschwitz
- 1980: Odor marks, C*el-Paris
- 1981: Blood spot, K*el-London
- 1988: Travel to West Berlin
- 1993: Conceives Stolpersteine project
- 1997: First two Stolpersteine installed at the invitation of Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service founder Andreas Maislinger for the brothers Matthias and Johann Nobis, with legal permit from St. Georgen (near Salzburg)
- 2000: Project Stolpersteine continues, acquiring permits to install the memorials
Shows
- 1982: Alte Oper, Frankfurt am Main
- 1986: Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Museum of the City of Cologne
- 1991: Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin
- 1995: Academy of Arts, Berlin
Stolpersteine in different countries
Main article: List of cities by country that have stolpersteine- Austria: Stolpersteine in the district of Braunau am Inn
- Belgium: Stolpersteine in Charleroi
- Czech Republic: Prague: Josefov, Malá Strana, Vršovice and Modřany — Královéhradecký kraj, Ústecký kraj
- Germany: Lake Constance district, Weingarten
- Netherlands
References
External links
- Stolpersteine website
- Demning résumé at IGNIS