Felix Georg Pfeifer (9 November 1871,

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

– 6 March 1945, Leipzig) was a German sculptor and

medallist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

Biography

Pfeifer was the third son of six children born to the businessman, Friedrich Eduard Pfeifer. From 1890 to 1893, he studied at the

Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig The Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (HGB) or Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig is one of the oldest art schools in Germany, dating back to 1764. The academy has four colleges specializing in fine arts, graphic design, photography and new media ar ...

with , then transferred to the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts () was a state arts academy first established in 1694 by prince-elector Frederick III of Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg in Berlin, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and later king in Kingdom of ...

in Berlin, where his instructors included

Peter Breuer Peter Christian Breuer (19 May 1856, Cologne – 1 May 1930, Berlin) was a German sculptor. He was a professor at the Prussian Academy of Arts (later, the Academy of Arts, Berlin) and was considered to be one of the pioneers of modern sculpture ...

and

Ernst Herter Ernst Gustav Herter (14 May 1846, Berlin – 19 December 1917, Berlin) was a German sculptor. He specialized in creating statues of mythological figures. Life and work Herter studied at the Academy of Arts in Berlin and later also as apprent ...

. This was followed by a study trip to Rome, where Pfeifer worked with Eugen Diederichs and his associates. After a stay in Paris, he was in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

from 1906 to 1911, becoming one of the cofounders of the (Artists' Association). Pfeifer returned to Leipzig at the start of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, working as a freelance sculptor. Inspired by the literary works of

Richard Dehmel Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel (18 November 1863 – 8 February 1920) was a German poet and writer. Life A forester's son, Richard Dehmel was born in Hermsdorf near Wendisch Buchholz (now a part of Münchehofe) in the Brandenburg Province, ...

, Pfeifer‘s sculptures often dealt with the subjects of friendship and love. His first major group sculpture, ''Erste Liebe'' (First Love) was purchased by the government of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, leading to a series of important commissions. These included four

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s for the choir at St. Nicholas Church, reliefs on the portal of the New Town Hall, and three figures for the entrance of the . One of Pfeifer’s most familiar figures, "Genesung" (convalescence, or recovery), was originally created for the fountain at the (a health insurance company). It was recast in 1936 for the

Bundesgartenschau The Bundesgartenschau (; BUGA) is a biennial federal horticulture show in Germany. It also covers topics like landscaping. Taking place in different cities, the location changes in a two-year cycle. About once every ten years, an international ...

(horticultural show) and given the title "Beglückende Schönheit" (blissful beauty). Today, this work may be seen at the in Dresden, with its original title; given as a gift by Pfeifer's widow. Pfeifer was also well known for his work as a medallist and was often referred to as "Plaketten-Pfeifer" (Plaques Pfeifer). Most of his medals and reliefs are in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style, following in the steps of the French medallists,

Alexandre Charpentier Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (1856–1909) was a French sculptor, medalist, craftsman, and cabinet-maker. Life and work From working-class origins and apprenticed to an engraver as a young man, he became a studio assistant to the innov ...

and

Oscar Roty Louis-Oscar Roty usually known as Oscar Roty (11 June 1846 – 23 March 1911) was one of the most celebrated medallists of the Art Nouveau period. Biography Louis-Oscar Roty was born on 11 June 1846 in Paris. He first studied painting and scul ...

.Albrecht Kurzwelly: "Leipziger Kunstgewerbe". In: ''Kunstgewerbeblatt.'' N. F. 18, 1906, H. 3. In addition, Pfeifer produced designs for furniture and household items. In 1945, after surviving several bombings, Pfeifer was killed by a clay model that fell on him in his studio.

References

External links

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Felix Pfeifer
@ the Rosengarten Dresden website {{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeifer, Felix German sculptors German male sculptors 1871 births 1945 deaths 20th-century German sculptors Accidental deaths in Germany

Biography

References

Further reading

External links