Six sculptures and their story

Grande Dame, brother Johannes and the blond Hans

Who are the two quarrellers in the old town? And what is Hans Albers doing in Düsseldorf? As you stroll through the city, you often come across personalities cast in bronze. We tell you their story.

Johanna "Mother" Ey

Her biography is Hollywood-worthy: drama, love, success and adverse circumstances characterize the life of the Düsseldorf gallery owner, who was the most painted woman in the world in the 1920s. Her friends included famous artists such as Max Ernst, Otto Pankok and Otto Dix. Mother Ey has left numerous traces in Düsseldorf, including as a figure on Mother Ey Square in the Andreas Quartier since 2017.

Confrontation

What may have prompted the grim-looking potbelly and the emaciated 68er to create the "confrontation"? Only Karl-Henning Seemann, who created the sculpture in 1978, knows the answer. Situated in the middle of the old town, the work of art invites interaction and has served as a photo motif countless times.

Hoppeditz 

Anyone looking at the statue of the Düsseldorf arch-jester Hoppeditz in the small green area behind the Haus des Karnevals should take some time to discover all the details and allusions hidden by sculptor Bert Gerresheim. For example, the base of the figure, which was erected in 2008, is made up of the faces of well-known pranksters such as Charlie Chaplin, Karl Valentin and Donald Duck. There are also sinister features such as a medieval heretic with his tongue cut out.

Johannes Rau

He was known as "Brother Johannes" because, as a professed Christian, he lived his faith publicly and always showed compassion. Nevertheless, he was not to be underestimated as a politician, making it from MP to parliamentary party leader to Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia (1978-1998) and finally becoming the eighth President of the Federal Republic of Germany (1999-2004). His memorial, unveiled in 2007, can be found in front of Villa Horion, which was the official residence of the NRW Minister President from 1961 to 1999.

Hans Albers

Well, what is Hans Albers, the Hamburg boy, doing on Ueckerplatz in the MedienHafen? Jörg Immendorff created the artwork in 1986 for the Hamburg neighborhood. But a few years later, a dispute arose between the artist and the Hamburg Senate, so Immendorff brought the sculpture to Düsseldorf.

Heine Monument

Erected in 1981 to mark the 125th anniversary of Heinrich Heine's death, the monument required police protection at its inauguration, as the fragmented depiction of the poet did not go down well with everyone. But sculptor Bert Gerresheim, with the help of Achim Spyra (who now runs the KIT Café), had done his research and wanted to symbolize Heine's inner turmoil with the sculpture. He therefore created a bronze puzzle face, individual parts of which appear to be partially detached and sinking.

Cover picture: Confrontation, Düsseldorf Tourism