Nailhead V

Rainer Kriester (Plauen 1935 - Vendone, Italien 2002)

1984. Bronze and iron nails. H. 40 x 40 x 24 cm. Unsigned, cast F. Zimmer, Hermannsburg. Unique piece With its nails, spikes and thorns, Kriester's nail heads are reminiscent of medieval tournament helmets, the faces always hidden under visors, masks or bandages. 'It is difficult to say anything about Rainer Kriester's sculptures that is not obvious. Rainer Kriester makes heads, heads are his theme, his obsession, perhaps also his trauma. Kriester's heads, viewed from the side as well as the front, are characterized by a double triangular or wedge shape. They appear cuttingly sharp from the front, becoming the blade of a knife where the bridge of their nose should be. Only in profile or semi-profile do they reveal themselves as heads' (Wieland Schmied. Rainer Kriester. Heads and Steles. Munich, 1996, page 86). Included is an exhibition catalog from the Huber-Nising Gallery, 1992, signed by the artist - Exhibition: Illustration in: Rainer Kriester exhibition catalog. Signs and Metaphors November 15, 1991-February 1, 1992, Galerie Huber-Nising, Frankfurt a.M., page 20/21 - Literature: WVZ Schmied 1996, No. 254 - Provenance: Acquired in 1992 from Galerie Huber-Nising, Frankfurt a.M.; private property since then - German painter and sculptor, studied at the Berlin Art Academy from 1961 and lived in Vendone, Liguria from 1982. His work focuses on abstracted heads, such as the 'Great White Head Sign' in the Chancellery in Berlin (1984-87), inn 1996/97 he created a series of 140 sculptures under the titles "Viaggio in Africa I" and "Viaggio in Africa II", in 1997/98 in New York the large bronze 'Segni solari'.