Bronze , partly polished. With the monogram and the foundry mark "W. Füssel 1 Berlin" on the base. Ca. 145 x 80 x 48 cm.
Second version of the Vogelstele (bird stele) with a cylindrical bronze base, developed in 1975/77, replacing the rectangular granite base of the first version from 1969. Presumably only two versions of this second variant with a cylindrical base are known to exist. Cast during the artist's lifetime in 1980 by Giesserei Füssel, Berlin. [AR].
- Lifetime cast from the central group of the partly polished bronzes. - Charming material contrast with the recurring theme of the bird. - Three partly polished bronzes by the artist from the same creative period (Vertical Motif I-III, 1966-67) are on display in the sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. - Bernhard Heiliger is considered one of the most influential German post-war sculptors, receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1974.
LITERATURE: Marc Wellmann, Bernhard Heiliger 1915-1995. Monographie und Werkverzeichnis, Cologne 2005, no. 329 (illu. on p. 80).