User:Jjdeav/Erich Engelbrecht

Erich Engelbrecht, a German artist (Bielefeld, 1928 - Vichy, 2011). Erich Engelbrecht was born on 21.10.1928 in Bielefeld (north Germany) and died in Vichy (France) in 21.07.2011. From 2001 onwards he planned and installed a sculpture park on the grounds of the Château des Fougis, in Thionne (03), France.

Career
Erich Engelbrecht studied previously engineering and economics at the technical university of Hannover and had been awarded a doctorate in engineering. After finishing his studies he endorsed an highly successful career as industrial consultant. In 1958 he decided to study philosophy and history of art at Munich University. During his studies there under Hans Sedlmayr he met his future wife Waltraud Schmidt. He also became acquainted with a psychologist who introduced him to the ideas of C.G.Jung. It was during this inspiring period that his artistic talent was suddenly awakened. One day, while travelling from Munich to Bielefeld by train, with his eyes closed, some noises of the train caused him to see coloured pictures in his inner mind. Each time a certain noise was repeated, the same picture appeared in his head. He had of course experienced eidetic pictures. On returning home he declared to his wife: “I’m going to be an artist.” He sounded so resolute and convincing that she thought: ‘He’ll do it, and he can.’ At the beginning of the sixties he bought an old farmhouse in Lower Saxony, which was later converted into his private home and workplace. With time and with the continuous support of his wife, it was here that Erich Engelbrecht achieved his most extraordinary work of modern art.

Sculpture Park
A longtime lover of France, Erich Engelbrecht bought the ancient Château des Fougis in Spring 2000. From 2001 onwards he started with the planning of his exhibition, with the first two sculptures arriving in France in Sommer 2002. Other 26 large sculptures arrived there until 2009.

The park is open for public visits from April to october, from friday to sunday.

Other works of Erich Engelbrecht may be see in the galleries of the Château des Fougis. Among them, some of his graphics, paintings, large tapestries, and other small scall sculptures. These works belong to a private collection and can only be seen on prior arragement.