Vogelstele II. 1969.
Bronze, partly polished.
With the monogram and the foundry mark "W. Füssel 1 Berlin" on the base. Ca. 145 x 80 x 48 cm (57 x 31.4 x 18.8 in).
Second version of the Vogelstele (bird stele) with a cylindrical bronze base, developed in 1975/77, replacing the rectangular granite base of the first version from 1969. Presumably only two versions of this second variant with a cylindrical base are known to exist. Cast during the artist's lifetime in 1980 by Giesserei Füssel, Berlin. [AR].
• Lifetime cast from the central group of the partly polished bronzes.
• Charming material contrast with the recurring theme of the bird.
• Three partly polished bronzes by the artist from the same creative period (Vertical Motif I-III, 1966-67) are on display in the sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
• Bernhard Heiliger is considered one of the most influential German post-war sculptors, receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1974.

PROVENANCE: Piorr/Dohrn Collection, Hamburg.
Private collection Northern Germany.

EXHIBITION: Bernhard Heiliger 1915-1995: Kosmos eines Bildhauers, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, November 5, 2005 - January 15, 2006, Museum Würth, Künzelsau, February 2 - July 2, 2006, cat. no. 74 (illu. on p. 80).

LITERATURE: Marc Wellmann, Bernhard Heiliger 1915-1995. Monographie und Werkverzeichnis, Cologne 2005, no. 329 (illu. on p. 80).