Sculpture Park Engelbrecht

Sculpture Park Engelbrecht

The Blacksmith, I (Der Schmied, I)
Location within France
Established	between 2002-2011
Location	Château des Fougis, 03220 Thionne, France
Coordinates	46.427000°N 3.564566°E / 46.427000; 3.564566
Collections	Monumental massive steel sculptures by Erich Engelbrecht & a private exhibition with previous works by the same

Les Fougis, Thionne

Clermont

Lyon

Geneva

Grenoble

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Sculpture Park in the map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Les Fougis, Thionne

Moulins

Vichy

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Sculpture Park in the map of Allier.

The Sculpture Park Erich Engelbrecht (French: Parc de sculptures Engelbrecht) is located at the Château des Fougis, 03220 Thionne, department of Allier, France, and displays steel sculptures of the German artist Erich Engelbrecht.

In 2001, Erich Engelbrecht bought the property with the intent of installing his Sculpture Park throughout the gardens and former farming and hunting fields of Château des Fougis.

On loan from a private collection, the artist and his wife also mounted a second exhibition in the main wing of the castle, presenting some previous works like large format tapestries, oil paintings, small steel figures and graphics.

Les Fougis (the site)

“In the 15th century, according to tradition, Les Fougis were the hunting grounds of the Bourbons. In 1495 records exist of financial payments between Duke Charles the 3rd and Hughes le Long, Lord of Fougis and provost of the Duke’s Hunting. Earlier still, there’s a reference to the Lord of Fougis in an inventory written in 1410 by Pierre Bodet for Guichard Dauphin, Lord of Jaligny. In fact, the family le Long were the registered holders of les Fougis from 1461 onwards, through squire Hugonin le Long, who was also provost of the Hunting of Pierre the 2nd. The Le Longs retained the ownership of Les Fougis until 1727, the date on which the territory was bequeathed to a nephew, Jean Berthier de Bizy. Their descendants retained it until the French Revolution. In 1802 it was bought by Antoine Clayeux, whose family owns the site to the present day.

Rebuilt at the end of the 16th century (a doorway in classic style is dated 1593) the Fougis have walls pierced with more decorative openings. A description from Nicolas de Nicolay in 1569 states ‘fort chasteau, terre et seigneurie…’ (strong castle, land, and lordship...)

The château is composed of a main rectangular building, flanked by two square towers on its southwest and northeast corners, and a round tower to the southeast. A second perpendicular wing to the north is also flanked by another square tower on its east corner. The walls are made of red and dark brown brickwork, paired to form lozenge patterns. The openings are framed with white limestone. The north façade and some windows to the other sides were modified throughout the end of the 19th century.”

At the turn of the 19th to the 20th centuries, the house was completely renovated and remodeled. The main courtyard received arcades on both wings, one of them with a glazed loggia. The north wing became an extra floor for the extended family and services. The interiors present a language typical for the period.

After acquiring the property, Erich Engelbrecht undertook a multitude of renovation and building works on the fields and buildings to adapt Les Fougis for these exhibitions.

Some of his family members settled in Fougis, where they presently live and work.

Erich Engelbrecht (the artist)

Erich Engelbrecht (Bielefeld, 27 October 1928-Vichy, France, 21 July 2011) was a German artist who left a number of works in the fields of painting, graphics, tapestry, sculpture, architecture, and poetry.

List of sculptures

Map of the park

List of sculptures in the park with catalogue reference, original work and its date, date of arrival each sculpture in Fougis, dimensions (height, width, thickness & weight) and finishing

List of works in the sculpture park

#	Catal.	Name	O	Date	FR	H	W	T	Weight	Finishing
1	010.0320	The Blacksmith, I	D	1985	2002	10.0	9.2	0.33	112.00	raw steel
2	011.0321	He Puffs up his Chest	D	1992	2002	7.0	3.2	0.25	13.75	raw steel
3	012.0322	The Bird and the Son of the Bird	D S	1973	2003	6.3	4.2 x 3.7	0.055	12.00	polychrome
4	013.0323	Falling over	D	1986	2004	7.0	5.5	0.23	27.26	black
5	014.0324	The Circumspect	D	1992	2004	12.0	3.8	0.35	45.90	white
6	015.0325	Icarus	D	1992	2004	9.0	9.9	0.30	61.45	white
7	016.0326	Chieftain Sharp Tongue, II	D	1990	2004	7.0	5.4	0.23	29.52	white
8	017.0327	Mundalin's Return	D	1990	2005	9.0	6.4	0.30	56.64	white
9	018.0328	Elvira (red)	P	1961	2006	7.8	1.7	0.23	15.57	polychrome
10	019.0329	The Pistol and the Victim	W	1964	2005	5.3	7.0 x 3.3	0.055	9.73	polychrome
11	020.0330	The Invoker, I	D	1989	2005	7.0	4.2	0.23	24.16	white
12	021.0331	The Ordeal, IV	D	1990	2006	7.0	6.4	0.23	31.12	white
13	022.0332	The Accuser, I	D	1986	2006	5.0	2.8	0.16	6.32	white
14	023.0333	The Lesson, I	D	1985	2006	8.0	5.4	0.26	37.32	black
15	024.0334	The Scribe	D	1986	2006	7.1	2.5	0.23	9.18	white
16	025.0335	The Gesticulator	D	1992	2006	7.8	5.6	0.24	15.38	white
17	026.0336	The Lying Dragon	P	1963	2006	2.9	9.1	0.28	23.99	polychrome
18	027.0337	Flying is difficult !	D	1992	2006	7.5	5.4	0.23	12.98	black
19	028.0338	The Horse-Necked King, IV	D	1989	2006	7.0	4.9	0.23	27.73	blue
20	029.0339	What a Lucky Swine !	D	1992	2006	7.5	4.0	0.23	21.84	yellow
21	030.0340	The Knight with the Duck	D	1992	2009	7.0	4.7	0.23	25.64	blue
22	031.0341	The Annihilation of the Elephant, II	D	1990	2009	7.0	5.0	0.23	28.11	black
23	032.0342	The Princess and the Dragon, III	D	1991	2007	11.6	9.9	0.32	92.40	beige
24	034.0344	Dancing Berserker, The Doppelgänger	D	1984	2007	7.6	5.2	0.23	28.11	raw steel
25	033.0343	Dancing Berserker, The Night Walker, II	D	1984	2007	7.5	5.9	0.23	27.98	raw steel
26	035.0345	Elvira (blue)	P	1961	2009	11.0	2.3	0.30	40.36	polychrome
27	036.0346	Rumpelstilskin	D	1986	2011	2.2	0.97	0.07	0.42	black
28	004.0314	Dancing Berserker, The Doppelgänger	D	1984	2006	4.5	3.1	0.14	6.41	raw steel
29	003.0313	Dancing Berserker, The Night Walker	D	1984	2006	4.4	3.5	0.14	6.41	raw steel

• Units for dimensions: Height, Width (sculpture) and Thickness (steel platte) are in meters, the Weight (including plinth) in metric tonnes
• All sculptures were cut from massive steel plates.
• The 7 digits reference in the present inventory for the catalogue : the first group with 3 digits report to the numbering within a type of works, the second group with 4 digits to the global work by the artist.
• Column "O" (for "Originalwerk", Original Work): D - Drawing (25); P - Painting (3); S - Steel Sculpture (based on a previous wooden sculpture) (1); W - Wooden Sculpture (1).
• Column "Date" indicates the year of the Original Work as drawing, painting or sculpture.
• Column "FR" indicates the year of arrival in Fougis. Sculptures #28 & #29 were produced in 1984 and stood previously in Melle and Hamburg, before arriving 2006 in Fougis.

Further reading

Two books on Erich Engelbrecht and the Sculpture Park have been published at Edition Axel Menges.

• ISBN 978-3-932565-84-7 - A book/catalogue about the Sculpture Park on the series OPUS (in English and French), with contributions from Dr. Gottfried Knapp and Arch. João J. de Abreu Vares.
• ISBN 978-3-86905-014-0 - A Monograph Erich Engelbrecht (in German and English), with written contributions from Waltraud Engelbrecht, Renate Vogt, Dr, Gottfried Knapp and an interview with Hans-Jürgen Vogt, a longtime friend and patron Erich Engelbrecht. It will also include a first catalogue/listing on the works of the artist.

External links

• Erich Engelbrecht (artist website)
• Château des Fougis (artist website)
• Pictures Sculpture park (artist website)
• Auvergne-Tourism.info: Monumental Sculptures Erich Engelbrecht (in English)
• Lamontagne.fr Erich Engelbrecht... sculptures (in French)
• LaMontagne 17.08.2014 (in French)
• Mein Frankreich (in German)
• Benedikt Pictures - "The woman and the dragon" (a short documentary) (in English)
• Mon Bourbonnais - Château des Fougis (in French)
• Axel Menges - catalogue Fall 2018 (in English)