Paul Wunderlich (1927 Eberswalde - 2010 Saint-Pierre-de-Vassols, Provence) (F), Winged stele

bronze, black-brown patinated, partly polished, on black stone base, height 222 cm, signed in the casting, numbered 2/9, foundry stamp 'Cameo Editions', partly scratches

'His works are recognised all over the world, appreciated, also bought by a broad public,'' Jens Christian Jensen praises the artist, ''Art connoisseurs agree: Paul Wunderlich is the main master of fantastic realism and one of the few style-forming artists of our time.'' Paul Wunderlich was born in Eberswalde in 1927 and, as a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, designer of object art and even furniture, is one of the most productive artists of the 20th century. From 1947 to 1951 he studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg, where he met fellow students Horst Janssen and Reinhard Drenkhahn, among others, until he himself taught etching and lithography at the Hochschule from 1951 to 1960. From 1961 to 1963 Wunderlich lived and worked in Paris and succeeded to Georg Gresko as professor at the art academy in Hamburg. In the 1960s Wunderlich experimented with different techniques and developed his unmistakable style, in which Mannerist and Surrealist, but also elements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco can be found. He created surreal figures with unequal proportions and often took famous motifs from classical art and mythology as models. Initially, he drew his themes from German history. Later he concentrated increasingly on erotic motifs. Under the influence of Salvador Dalí, he began to produce bronzes. For over fifty years, Paul Wunderlich devoted himself almost obsessively to the erotic depiction of the female body in ever new variations. In his idea of aesthetics, female figures appear soft, weightless and flowing. Wunderlich attached great importance to smooth surfaces, flowing transitions and nuanced colour modulations. Alluding to her famous model, the monumental Nike of Samothrace in the Louvre, Paul Wunderlich depicted his unveiled winged goddess of victory from Greek mythology with delicate, elongated legs and a sensually smooth surface.