Kurt Laurenz Metzler
Encyclopedia
Life
Metzler was born 1941 in BalgachBalgach
Balgach is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Coat of arms:The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess Or a Semi Lion rampant issuant Gules and Vert two Bars Argent....
, St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
. In School, Metzler already was working creatively, using pieces of wood and cardbord. He wanted to become an artist. Because he lost his father, he temporarily grew up at his uncle’s, Florian Metzler, who was a painter.
Because Metzler’s Mother said, sculptor was an unstable business, he began to be an architectural draftsman, decorator and photographer.
In 1958, he enrolled himself to the „Schule für Gestaltung“, an artistic school of Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
He got his sculptor’s diploma in 1963. In 1964 he travelled to the USA and lived in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for a year.
Back in Switzerland, he made an apprenticeship at a car body tinsmith’s to learn the art of blacksmithing. Then he worked for other sculptors, e.g. Ödön Koch, Arnold D’Altri, Paul Speck or Silvio Mattioli.
In 1970, he bought a house in Tremona (Canton of Tessin
Tessin
-People:* Carl Gustaf Tessin* Nicodemus Tessin the Elder* Nicodemus Tessin the Younger-Switzerland:* Ticino, a canton...
, Switzerland). There, his first big sculpture were made. During these times, Metzler got his first orders and had multiple exhibitions.
Another voyage through the USA followed. In 1976, he took part at the “International Sculptors Congress“ in New Orleans.
In 1989 he opened up an atelier in Tillson, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he created works for exhibitions in New York and Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He went to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he started to work and live in Iesa near Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
, with Claudia, his wife,and his two sons. Today, he lives in the Toscana and in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.
The garden around his property is now populated with about 50 characters and is also like the garden of Daniel Spoerri and the Tarot Garden by Niki de Saint Phalle, an Artists' Garden in Tuscany, which became known as Arte Ambientale.
From this period are numerous monumental works in public spaces. The sculptures are located in Australia, Germany and the United States.
1996 Metzler has exhibited in the Baths of Caracalla, in 1997 in Sienna and in 2003 in Milan. In 2006, a selection of his works at the Park Hotel on the Bürgenstock was seen at Lake Lucerne too. In the same year he participated in the 3rd Swiss Sculpture Triennale in Bad Ragaz and Vaduz , for which he was the technical director,and where he also took part in in the first 2 shows.
In 2007, several sculptural works in the context of the Ansbacher Metzler Sculpture Mile in the public space in Ansbach(Germany) were visible.
From July to October he took part in the:"Bella Estate Dell'Arte of Milan",showing a traveling exhibition "Nevrotici Metropolitani" at the Milan Central Station square. The exhibition was curated by art critic Vittorio Sgarbi
Vittorio Sgarbi
Vittorio Umberto Antonio Maria Sgarbi is an Italian art critic, politician, cultural commentator and TV personality.He was appointed curator of the Italian Pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale...
and praised by Milan mayor Letizia Moratti
Letizia Moratti
Letizia Brichetto-Arnaboldi Moratti is an Italian businesswoman and politician. She is the former mayor of Milan.-Biography:...
.
A book with many essays by Vittorio Sgarbi, Alberto Bartalini & Franz Jaeger, with photo documentation by Mario Mulas brother of the late art photographer Ugo Mulas
Ugo Mulas
Ugo Mulas was an Italian photographer noted for his portraits of artists and his street photography.Ugo Mulas began his studies in law in 1948 in Milan, but left to take art courses at the Brera Fine Arts Academy. In 1954 he was asked to cover the Venice Biennale, his first professional assignment...
, about the "Nevrotici Metropolitani" traveling exhibition was published 2008-2009.
Christmas 2009, Metzler, has collocated his touring exhibition "Nevrotici Metropolitani" into the "Piazza Basilica Inferiore" in Assisi
Assisi
- Churches :* The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed in 1253...
.
In July 2009 in collaboration with Gallery Belvedere Singapore,he designed the sculpture group "Urban People" an exciting and iconic public art installation in the heart of Orchard Road, in front of the ION Orchard and The Orchard Residences
ION Orchard and The Orchard Residences
ION Orchard , formerly known as the Orchard Turn Development or Orchard Turn Site, is a shopping mall by Orchard Turn Developments Pte Ltd , a joint venture between CapitaLand and Sun Hung Kai Properties, and started operating on 21 July 2009...
in Singapore.
End of summer he participated at the Concert For Viareggio as the only sculptor, with 5 of his works beneath the stage. The idea came from Zucchero
Zucchero
Adelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...
"Sugar" Fornaciari, the headliner of the evening along with many other artists and celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment.
In occasion of the Teatro del Silenzio
Teatro del Silenzio
The Teatro del Silenzio is an Italian open air amphitheatre which is located in Lajatico, Tuscany — the hometown of Andrea Bocelli. In 2006, Bocelli influenced the municipality of his hometown Lajatico to build the outdoor theatre, and contributed greatly towards its construction. Bocelli...
,the worldwide famous Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
concert ,which took place on July 25, 2010 ,he created the stunning 14 meter monumental sculpture of a modernistic star as well as the metallic human figures in bright crayola colors that peopled the stone walls of the openair theatre, and also graced the rooftops and piazza in Lajatico.
Style
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, Bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, Aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
). Sometimes, the materials are bare, but often they are painted unicolored with a rather violent color.
The elder motives are wire dancers, people who are man and motor united (they e.g. contain motor parts or chains). Newer are the motives Zeitungsleser (Newspaper), Stadtneurotiker (City-neurotics),Cities, Golf players or giant people.
Select works
- «Gespräch», Ulmbergtunnel, Zürich, 1973
- «Stabhochspringer», Uster, 1974
- «Züri-Familie», Bahnhofstrasse, Zürich, 1978–79
- «Gespräch in Bewegung», Überlandstrasse, Zürich
- Figurengruppe aus Aluminium, Spreitenbach, 1993-94.
- Building People, Capital Tower,Singapore
- Urban People,ION Orchard,Singapore
- Men On Bench,Capital Tower Plaza,Singapore
External links
- http://www.klmetzler.com, official website
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/manuelmartini/1385811167/, Milan Photogallery