7248 - Gonda, Alexander

Gonda, Alexander Athena Bronze with a reddish-brown patina, partially gilded, mounted on a brown marble pedestal. 1961. 50 x 12 x 10 cm. Signed “Gonda” and dated on the lower right side. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, the arts, and war, stands upright in a column-like pose. Gonda breaks up the static effect of the figure with crystalline-looking cubes, the multitude of which forms the goddess’s slender, armored body. Her customary attributes—such as her helmet, shield, and owl—can be inferred from the smooth, shimmering rounded forms of the gilded sections. A monumental later version (1974) of Athena stands in front of the Shell House in Hamburg, and numerous other fountains and sculptures in public spaces—mostly in Berlin—are by Gonda. A student of Albiker and a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, he was awarded the Berlin Art Prize in 1953. From 1968 to 1970, he served on the board of the German Artists’ Association and frequently participated in its annual exhibitions. Total height including pedestal: 50 cm. Provenance: Private collection, Berlin - Please request condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.