09 Mar 2015

'Blickachsen' Sculpture Biennale – An ongoing success story

From bold vision to globally renowned Sculpture Biennale

At the start of 'Blickachsen' stood Christian K. Scheffel's idea of turning the magnificent gardens of the Kurpark in his home city of Bad Homburg, Germany, into an open-air stage for contemporary sculpture, as a means of combining the enjoyment of art with that of nature. With the support of the municipality and the Kur- und Kongreß-GmbH office of tourism, 
in 1997 'Blickachsen' celebrated its première with artists such as Anthony Caro, Michael Croissant and Bernar Venet. What began with 17 sculptures by nine artists in Bad Homburg's Kurpark has since grown into a major event extending far into the surrounding Rhine-Main region – most recently featuring over 90 sculptures by some 40 artists from 15 countries. 
'I am thrilled to see our sculpture show developing along such positive lines', says 'Blickachsen' founder and curator Christian K. Scheffel.

Several milestones mark the successful path from bold vision to globally renowned Sculpture Biennale, which after 18 years has now reached its tenth anniversary with 'Blickachsen 10'. Since the second edition, i.e. since 1999, the 'Blickachsen' team has cooperated with prestigious partner museums, who together with the curator open up new vistas on contemporary sculpture with each new exhibition. Meanwhile, the rapidly rising number of visitors (evident in the enthusiastic uptake of guided tours and workshops), the ready support of sponsors and the lively interest of local partners led to the geographical expansion of the 'Blickachsen' exhibition. After spreading steadily from Bad Homburg's Kurpark to the grounds of its landgraviate castle, which in 2003, for example, played host
 to works by Per Kirkeby and A. R. Penck, in 2009 the project was carried into the wider 
Rhine-Main region by Timm Ulrichs' 'Dancing Trees'. For this year's jubilee edition
 (opening on 31 May in Bad Homburg), no fewer than nine venues will be contributing 
to an incomparable summer of art.

A new chapter in the Sculpture Biennale's history opened in 2013 with the establishment 
of the Blickachsen Foundation, whose aim is to provide a long-term platform for three-dimensional art in the public space, to promote young artists, and to strengthen the Rhine-Main region's position as a cultural venue. The Foundation today mounts the 'Blickachsen' exhibition series in conjunction with the municipality of Bad Homburg, the Kur- und Kongreß-GmbH and the Stately Homes & Gardens Administration in Hesse (a joint organiser since 2009) and is committed to ensuring the ongoing growth of 'Blickachsen'.

Preparations behind the scenes are already in full swing and the organisers are working their hardest to ensure that visitors enjoy an artistic treat of the highest calibre in this jubilee year. 'The exhibition programme conceived with the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp is taking shape and we have already been able to visit the presentation sites with a number of artists', confirms Scheffel, speaking about the current planning stage.


'Blickachsen 10'
International Sculpture Biennale in Bad Homburg and Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Germany
31 May - 4 October 2015
In collaboration with the Middelheim Museum, Antwerp, Belgium

Exhibition venues:

Bad Homburg – Eppstein Castle – Darmstadt – Eschborn – Frankfurt – Hessenpark – Saalburg Roman Fort – Eberbach Abbey – Kronberg

Curators:
Christian K. Scheffel as Founder and Curator of 'Blickachsen';

Sara Weyns, Director of the Antwerp Middelheim Museum, together with Lieven Segers, as this year's Co-curators.

Organisers:
Stiftung Blickachsen gGmbH (Blickachsen Foundation)
Municipality of the City of Bad Homburg
Kur- und Kongreß-GmbH, Bad Homburg
Administration of the Public Stately Homes & Gardens in Hesse

Information:
For more information about the 'Blickachsen' Sculpture Biennale, visit www.blickachsen.com.

All press releases for 'Blickachsen 10' are also available for download in the Press area of our website.

Press:
For press requests, please send us an email via presse@blickachsen.de or call us on +49 – (0)178 – 47 32 591. High-resolution images can be downloaded from our website: www.blickachsen.com

About the Blickachsen Foundation:
The public benefit Blickachsen Foundation was established in March 2013 to provide an institutional home for the 'Blickachsen' Sculpture Biennale. With its aim of securing the future of the Biennale as a showcase for contemporary international sculpture and art installations, the Foundation, with its seat in Bad Homburg, Germany, works together with the municipality of the city of Bad Homburg, the Kur- und Kongreß-GmbH and the Administration of Public Stately Homes and Gardens in Hesse to organise the biennial 'Blickachsen' exhibitions in the public open spaces of Bad Homburg and the wider Rhine-Main region. The Foundation aims to offer both young and established artists from around the world a platform for their work in the open and public space, not only to promote new generations of artists but also to heighten popular interest in, and appreciation of, the most varied currents in three-dimensional art.