Heidi Guthmann Birck

Heidi Guthmann Birck:

Even before I started my education to become a ceramist and sculptor in 1959,

I held a fascination for the human body - portrayed in paintings and sculptures

and in living people. This has been a constant source of inspiration.

All the years my work has focused on the human face and I use it as a subject in

both sculptures and reliefs.

Throughout the years my work with the human face and head has developed into working

with busts and the entire human body on small and big scale.

I have created sculptures for site specific commissions placed in private or public areas.

I have faced a lot of great and welcomed challenges, one being the exhibition

at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, in 1983 together with my colleagues

from Multi Mud.

The task was to create work that was inspired by the large and well-known collections of

classical ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art.

In my sculptures opposite expressions and duality are predominant. This is shown in pieces

that are partly woman and man - “Sheman”, in a man and an animal - “Manimal” or in a chimera.

Some of my sculptures have been casted in bronze and then chased and patinated to achieve

even more refined expressions.

My daughter and son have shown a lot of patience as models for some of my sculptures.

Since 1965 I have participeted in exhibitions all over Europe and my work can be seen

in several museums and public collections.

Among grants, I have received the grant from Djerassi Foundation 1985 - Artist in residence

and from Niels Wessel Bagge Art Foundation 1998 - Study tour, a tour which has been

particularly important for my artistic development.

The exhibitions “Profiler i ler” 1980 and “Resumé 1966 -1999” have been manifestations of my

artistic partnership with my husband Aage Birck.