Otto Lessing (sculptor)

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Großer Tiergarten
, Berlin
Gable and sculptures on the Reichsgericht (now the German Federal Administrative Courts), Leipzig
Deutscher Dom
, as well as interiors

Otto Lessing (24 February 1846 – 22 November 1912) was a prominent German

Carl Friedrich Lessing and the great great nephew of poet Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.[1][2]

Lessing created sculpture and decorative architectural elements on the façades and interiors of many important buildings in Germany, such as the

Reichstag, Berlin Cathedral and the Reichsgericht (Supreme Court) in Leipzig. In addition to large public contracts, he also designed commercial buildings and residential villas. At the height of his career in 1911, Lessing was appointed to the Senate of the Prussian Academy of Arts[2] and awarded the Pour le Mérite in Science and Arts (German: Pour le mérite für Wissenschaft und Künste), Germany's highest civilian decoration.[3]

Life

Otto Lessing was born in Düsseldorf. His artistic education began with his father, who instructed him in painting. He then studied sculpture from 1863 to 1865 under Carl Johann Steinhäuser at the Kunstschule Karlsruhe and then from 1865 to 1868 with Albert Wolff in Berlin. After these years of training Lessing returned to Karlsruhe, where he worked at Steinhäuser's studio until 1872.[4]

Lessing married Sigrid Gude, daughter of Hans Gude in Christiania in 1875.[5]

At the founding of the German Empire, with the choice of Berlin as imperial capital, Lessing hoped for a busy career and in the autumn of 1872 moved to Berlin. There he opened a studio for decorative sculpture at Wartburgstraße 14 in

Tiergarten district.[2]

Lessing's reputation and success grew continuously in the late 19th century. In 1890, he was accepted into the Society of Berlin Architects and became their favored sculptor.[1] From this association he received commissions for sculptures and reliefs on the façades of many prominent buildings, such as the Reichstag, the Berlin City Palace and the cathedral. In addition to large public commissions, Lessing also designed sculptures for commercial buildings and many of the villas of the new middle class in the capitol.[2]

Lessing also designed monumental standalone sculptures. Between 1886 and 1890 he created a monument to his great-great uncle, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, on the Lennéstraße in the Tiergarten. During its inauguration on 14 October 1890, Lessing was awarded the title of a professor and a short time later took a teaching position at the Institute of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin. He moved to Wangenheimstraße 10 in the new neighborhood of Berlin Grunewald, where he built a large studio.[2] He died on 22 November 1912 and is buried in the Friedhof Halensee-Grunewald, in a tomb he designed himself.[4]

Painting and sculpture

Main article: List of works by Otto Lessing
Lessing's Statue of Shakespeare in the Park an der Ilm, Weimar.

Otto Lessing's sculpture and architectural decoration adorns many historic government buildings in Germany, such as the

St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg. The Borsig Palace is an example of his work for private residences. The Berlin State Library and Konzerthaus Berlin are also decorated by Lessing.[2]

Among his most important outdoor monuments are the

Berlin City Palace
.

Writings

Lessing's published writings include:[1]

  • Ausgefuehrte Bauornamente der Neuzeit. Sammlung hervorragender Ornamentausfuehrungen. Berlin: Wasmuth, 1880.
  • Bauornamente der Neuzeit. Berlin: Wasmuth, 1881.
  • Bauornamente Berlins. 100 Tafeln. (2 editions) Berlin: Wasmuth, 1890.
  • Schloss Ansbach: Barock- und Roccoco-Dekorationen aus dem XVIII. Jahrhundert Berlin: Wasmuth, 1892.

Gallery

Examples of Lessing's architectural and decorative sculpture:

  • Exterior facade of the Reichstag, Berlin
    Exterior facade of the
    Reichstag
    , Berlin
  • Gable and sculpture The Horse Tamers, Neuer Marstall, Berlin
    Gable and sculpture The Horse Tamers, Neuer Marstall, Berlin
  • The interior of the Salon railway car of Kaiser Wilhelm II
    The interior of the Salon railway car of Kaiser Wilhelm II
  • Belltower of the Berliner Dom
    Belltower of the
    Berliner Dom


References

  1. ^
    doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t050610
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jörg Kuhn: Otto Lessing 1846–1912 (Berlin: Freie Universität, 1994) Online summary Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  3. ^ a b Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaft und Künste Official Website (in German) retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b Biography of Otto Lessing at Berlin Editions Luisenstadt (in German) retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. ^ Jansen, Ebba (1940). Slekten Gude i Norge. Bergen.
  6. ^ Otto Lessing's work on the Bundesrat Bundesrat Official website (in English), retrieved 1 March 2012
  7. ^ Stephen Kinzer, "Shakespeare, Icon in Germany" New York Times, 30 December 1995

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Otto Lessing.
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