The artists’ legacy
Valuable cultural heritage
Fidelis Bentele and Georg Bentele-Ücker left behind a valuable cultural legacy, which came into the possession of the market town of Oberstaufen following the death of Georg Bentele-Ücker in December 2014.
Donation to the market town of Oberstaufen
The generous donation from the widow Irene Henninger-Bentele-Ücker made it possible to present the work of the two sculptors, who had made Oberstaufen’s reputation all over the world, to the public in their home town and make it accessible to the general public.
Objects
The artistic estate comprises around 1,200 objects: from miniatures ten centimetres in size to large sculptures 2.30 metres high. From sketches, drafts and drawings to models and moulds to finished sculptures made of wood, plaster and bronze, all phases of the artistic creative process are included. The oldest work of art is a mirror whose baroque frame was carved by Fidelis Bentele as early as 1934. The treasures also include numerous portrait busts of famous contemporary figures from the 1950s and 1960s, which established Fidelis Bentele’s international reputation.
Inventory
As part of the clearance of the artists’ studio and home in 2016, an inventory was compiled. At the same time, large bronze sculptures were selected for presentation in public spaces and a permanent exhibition was designed, which opened in the spring of 2018 at Alpe Vögels Berg on the “Beim Strumpfar” museum grounds.
A complete catalogue raisonné of the works of both artists does not yet exist, if only because of their long and extensive creative output. Neither does a fundamental bibliography or a well-founded art-scientific categorisation of the significance of the life and work of the two sculptors. Again and again, sculptures appear in auctions and estates that were previously unknown. The artists’ biographies also reveal numerous gaps and contradictions that need to be gradually filled. Information of any kind is very welcome.
Voluntary commitment makes it possible
All of this work, including the organisation of expert guided tours and looking after interested visitors to the exhibition, is carried out on a voluntary basis by members of the Heimatdienst. They deserve great thanks and recognition for this. First and foremost Peter Scheu, the curator of the estate and the permanent exhibition, a recognised Bentele expert.
Publications
Die Allgäuer Bildhauer Fidelis Bentele und Georg Bentele-Ücker. Ausstellungskatalog Entwurf & Ausführung, Bentele | Bentele-Ücker, Retrospektive. Published by the market town of Oberstaufen in May 2018. 80 pages. Price 10.00 euros. Available in the permanent exhibition and in bookshops
Fidelis Bentele. Aus der Werkstatt eines Bildhauers. With an essay by Arthur Maximilian Miller. Published by Maximilian Dietrich Verlag, Memmingen, 1964
Der Bildhauer Fidelis Bentele. With an introduction by Rudolf Musik. Published by Rheinhessische Druckerwerkstätte Alzey, 1975
Der Bildhauer Georg Bentele-Ücker. Published by Heidelberger Verlagsanstalt und Druckerei, 1994
Puchta, Erich: Einkehr hochgratig. Oberstaufner Bilderbogen. Gedichtet, Gemalt, Gestaltet. Fidelis Bentele und Georg Bentele-Ücker zum Gedenken. Published by Kunstverlag Josef Fink, Lindenberg, 2019