"Reversible sculpture" inaugurated in front of the Landesbühnen

On Saturday, 3 October 2020, the sculpture "Wende" by Dresden sculptor Reinhard Dietrich was unveiled in front of the Landesbühnen Sachsen to mark the 30th anniversary of German unification.

The Radebeul Lions Club had suggested purchasing a sculpture by the Dresden sculptor and erecting it in the area of the Landesbühnen Sachsen/Skulpturenpark. In the 30th anniversary year of the Peaceful Revolution and in the 30th year of reunification, a symbol is thus set in public space.

About the artist:

Reinhard Dietrich was an important, figurative sculptor who created numerous works, especially in the northern part of the GDR, which still attract attention today for their quality and expression.

Reinhard Dietrich completed an apprenticeship as a wood sculptor in Wittenberg from 1946 to 1950. He then studied at the technical school for wood art in Empfertshausen/Rhön and for three years at the technical school for applied arts in Leipzig. From 1953 to 1958, Reinhard Dietrich studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. Here he was a student of Hans Steger and Walter Arnold. He worked in a studio partnership with Wieland Förster and then worked as a freelance sculptor in Dresden until 1964. From 1964 to 2003 he lived in Kneese Ausbau near Rostock. During this time, he created many works that can be found mainly in Rostock, but also in other places. Some of his works were created in collaboration with Jo Jastram. He lived and worked in Dresden-Pillnitz from 2003 until his death.

Dietrich succeeded in creating works of art for public spaces that were not tendentious, but were often humorous and, as in the sculpture "Wende", also ambiguous. It was created under the impression of the events of autumn 1989 and symbolises, on the one hand, the liberation, the wriggling out of a prison-like block and, on the other, the Wendehals moving towards the new era.