Gerda Frömel

Evolving Practice

As visitors make their way through the Gerda Frömel: A Retrospective exhibition, each room guides them through the evolution of Frömel’s career, starting with her early works and partial reconstructions of her solo exhibitions, and leading to her public commissions and larger-scale later works.

During the nearly two decades in which she worked, Frömel demonstrated a wide range of skills and talents, equally comfortable with sculpting, modelling and carving. At times, she also exhibited her pencil drawings, revealing yet another layer to her constantly evolving practice. The subjects of her work was just as varied, encompassing animal studies, portraits, nature and architecture.

Portrait of Johann Jacob Weneslaus, 1957
Portrait of Johann Jacob Weneslaus, 1957
"Johann Jacob Weneslaus" was a small portrait of Frömel's two-year-old son Wenzel, wearing a woollen bobble hat and is typical of her production at this time. The small scale of the piece suggests a level of caution on the part of the artist using an unfamiliar medium. She modelled the figure in plaster, which was then used to form the mould for the bronze cast. This work was the first work Frömel definitely made and exhibited in Ireland. (Bronze. Private Collection.)
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