Bertrand Freiesleben
is a form artist
He has a master’s degree in art history and philosophy from the Freie Universität Berlin
He lives and works in Berlin, Germany
My urge is the almost mystical sublime of life I find in shapes
HEADS are our main visual communication focus displaying the infinite variety of most subtle moments. My interest in other people supports a comprehensive conceptual observation. I am about humans and the way shapes speak to us. Sensuality and intuition meet construction analysis.
This brings up the issues of portrait sculpture in all aspects. I investigate heads of living persons in encounters only and often model people who significantly contribute to our society, which leads to international co-operations with relevant Institutions. You find my works internationally in 40+ public places.
My work developed in several steps. A mere concept period with my art brand WORLD FREELIFE FOUND 1990-91 in New York ended 1992 with the installation “the sublime is inside” about our general comprehension ability. Since then I add visual investigation to my conceptual approach and observe the universal code of spatial form only.
I developed a software-tool that allows to understand the actual power-flow in tensed surfaces. With this I am deriving “The Geometric Construction-Analytical Notation of Spatial Form”. Collateral results include the core knowledge for beauty-design and load-optimized object-construction. By this we experience the substantial shift from our intuitive and illiterate comprehension to sophisticated analytical use of spatial language. As an artist I need this to explore and to pinpoint the sublime and unbelievable in nature.
Selected public works
- San Francisco Opera, War Memorial Opera House, Relief Pamela Rosenberg, San Francisco
- German Bundestag, h201 Matthias Erzberger, Unter den Linden, Berlin
- Office of the Federal President, h111 Horst Köhler, h182 Christian Wulff, Berlin
- Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall, h162 Claudio Abbado, Berlin
- Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, h152 Karl Schiller, Berlin
- Cathedral of Liechtenstein, h133, h134 Fürst Franz Josef II. von Liechtenstein, Georgina von Wilczek, Vaduz
- Museum Folkwang, Essen, h130 Berthold Beitz, Essen
- Design of the Walter-Scheel-Award for the Federal Government
- Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, h92 Walter Scheel, Berlin
- London School of Economics and Political Science: h65 Ralf Dahrendorf, London
Selected heads from encounters
h223 Arthur Abraham, h222 Bernhard Vogel, h219 Leroy Transfield, h205 Christopher Lehmpfuhl, h199, h200 Gregor Gysi, h186 Dieter Hallervorden, h184 Gerhard Schröder, h182 Christian Wulff, h181 Björn Engholm, h180 Eckart Witzigmann, h178 Bjarne Stroustrup, h174 Richard Stallman, h147 - h151, h153 – h165 Claudio Abbado, h131 Iouri Podladtchikov, h130 Berthold Beitz, h128 Sven Marquardt, h126 Dieter Hallervorden, h115 Levon Aronjan, h111 Horst Köhler, h110 Vladimir Kramnik, h105 Hans Riegel, h101 Johannes “Jopie” Heesters, h87 Kurt Masur, h84 Hildegard Hamm-Brücher, h83 Hans-Jochen Vogel, h80 Uwe Seeler, h79 Roman Herzog, h75 Klaus von Dohnanyi, h67 Egon Bahr, h66 Walter Kempowski, h65 Lord Ralf Dahrendorf, h56 Viktor Kortchnoi, h54 & h59 Richard von Weizsäcker, h50 Kurt Biedenkopf, h48 Rolf Hoppe, h47 & h92 Walter Scheel, h27 Philipp Demandt
Awards and Grants
2022 FACE 2022, People’s Choice Award, Society of Portrait Sculptors, London
2010 Study Abroad Scholarship of the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States
1998 GRAND PRIX Paul Louis Weiller pour le portrait en sculpture, Académie des Beaux-Arts, Institute de France, Paris
Selected shows
2019 - 2024 themissinglinkshift, 52°54’06.41” N 13°57’55.04” E, Brodowin
2022 TALKING HEADS ! Pop Up-Atelier in cooperation with the Lübeck Museums, the Willy Brandt-Haus, the Buddenbrookhaus and the Günter Grass Haus, Lübeck
2022 All Things Must Pass, Galerie ACNoffke, Ratzeburg
2015 Youth, TEFAF Maastricht, Emanuel von Baeyer, London
2005 Prima Kunst Container, Kiel
1998 Kontrapostsonate, solo show, Assoziazione Culturale Italo Tedesco, Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, Venedig
1998 OPEN, Prima Esposizione Internazionale di Sculture e Installazioni al Lido di Venezia, group show, cur. Pierre Restany, Donald Kuspit, Venedig
1998 Grand Prix pour le portrait en sculpture Paul Louis Weiller, group show, Académie des Beaux-Arts, Institute de France, Paris
1992 the sublime is inside, solo show, The Alternative Art Space, Carnegie Mellon Universitiy, Pittsburgh
1991 The House of Values, group show, cur. Robert Mahoney, Kathleen Cullen, New York
1991 The Stendahl Feeling, group show, Stendahl Gallery, New York
1991 WORLD FREELIFE FOUND, each card an art project, solo-show, Foster Goldstrom Gallery, New York