THREE DECADES OF COLLABORATION:
ERNST FUCHS AND KUNSTGIESSEREI STRASSACKER

It was in 1985 that Ernst Fuchs first put one of his works into our hands. The result fully convinced us. This artist recognized his own master craftsmanship and standard of perfection in the work of our foundry technicians and chasers, and was impressed by their profound understanding of the essence of metal. From then on, all of his sculptures were made in our workshops in Süßen – a challenging task every time, which we took on with great enthusiasm for more than three decades. Again and again, this was even done in the presence of the master. Fuchs would then stay at our guest house in Süßen and help our mould makers, moulders, smelters, casters and chasers on site. He particularly esteemed the great skill of the chasers, whose detailed work at the end gave the casting its consummate

shape and elegance. For it is only through their virtuoso skill with the chisel, scraper, and grinding and polishing tools - coupled with an in-depth understanding of what the artist wants to express – that the work is completed. Otherwise, said Fuchs, it would be “only half finished”.

The thirty years we spent together were marked by a collaboration based on trust and partnership. You could even say they were more than that; that Fuchs’ had a bond of friendship with Gießerei Strassacker and its employees, which we always saw as a great gift. And thus we have a deep desire to make a contribution to the care of his wide-ranging sculptural work even after his death.

At Strassacker in Süßen is where my sculptures are finally seasoned. That is where chasing gives them their spice, their interpretation. Here is where the bronze first really emerges.

Prof. Ernst Fuchs

IMAGINATION AND PERFECTION: ERNST FUCHS AND HIS OEUVRE

Ernst Fuchs’ impressive, life-long creative power drew sustenance from various sources: mythology, alchemy and religion played a large part and Fuchs was unmistakably an heir to historical styles, such as art nouveau and art deco. Yet he always created something entirely his own in every area of artistic expression he chose.

What distinguishes his art beyond any limits of genre is the inseparable combination of fantastic imagination and perfected craftsmanship. Fuchs was an artist whose work can only be called “complete” when it matched his ideas down to the tiniest, most inconspicuous detail.