Kurt Arentz - Lying fawn

Dimensions: H x W x D: approx. 34 x 43 x 34 cm

Description:
Large bronze figure by Kurt Arentz from the 1990s.
Reclining fawn, dark patina. Signed and numbered 9/20 on the reverse.
A certificate signed by the artist from 1999 is enclosed with the object.

Like many other animal sculptures by Kurt Arentz, the deer has no base. Screw holes with threads are present on the underside.

About the artist:
Kurt Arentz was born on 30 May 1934 in Cologne and died on 23 June 2014 in Munich.

Arentz discovered his interest in artistic works as early as the 1940s through encounters with the work of contemporary sculptor Fritz Klimsch and visits to the sculpture collection in Carl Duisberg Park in Leverkusen. Having grown up in a merchant's family, he initially took over his parents' butcher's business in 1958, from which the Arentz-Fisch company, which still exists today, emerged in 1968.

It was not until the 1970s that he began to devote more and more of his life to art. From 1972, he engaged in a lively dialogue with numerous contemporary artists and initially concentrated on painting.
He discovered his passion for sculpture when he attended an adult education course in sculpture in 1972. Through his training as a butcher and his hobby of hunting, he knew the anatomy of animals and so he created numerous animal sculptures, which were first shown to the public in 1980 in an exhibition at the Deutsche Bank in Solingen. His second exhibition followed in 1981 at the Haus der Kunst in Munich under the patronage of Franz-Josef Strauß.

In 1982, Arentz was commissioned to create a portrait of the Olympic high jump champion Ulrike Meyfarth. This work attracted great media interest and was followed by many other busts of famous personalities. Over the years, Arentz produced portraits of political greats such as Karl Carstens, Ronald Reagan, Willy Brandt, Ignaz Kiechle and many more.
Arentz also continued to work on animal sculptures and, in addition to numerous horse sculptures, he produced a pair of bald eagles for the American president in 1987.

Numerous sculptures by Arentz can still be seen in public spaces today, such as the group of figures "Die Reise - Mutter und Kind" in Opladen, the monument to Josef Cardinal Frings on Laurenzplatz in Cologne and the "Bergischer Löwe" in Leverkusen.

In 2001, Arentz was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his tireless commitment to art and for strengthening international co-operation and friendship.