The Bund Thüringer Kunsthandwerker represents 60 professionally working artisans and designers in the Free State. Wood designer Heinz Günther (Heinrich von Thüringen) has been one of them since 2006. His studio in Hüpstedt in the Eichsfeld region is a frequent venue for creative, artistic craftsmanship, for example, when the sculptor invited artists to prepare for the visit of the Pope artistically in 2011.
In the hands of the Eichsfeld artist, wood becomes expressive sculptures. His roots are also founded here, in this soil steeped in history. Heinz Günther was born in 1957 in Vollenborn in Eichsfeld, the neighboring village of Hüpstedt. In 1973, he began his training at the Rhön Carving School and with Master Merker. After his compulsory military service, his path leads him to Weimar, where he completes his training between 1979 and 1981 as a master-class student. An external study of Applied Art at the FAK Schneeberg follows in the late 80s. The sculptor has been working as an independent wood designer since 1976. Since 2013, he has also been chairman of the Eichsfeld-Skulptur e.V. and a supporter of significant art initiatives. Through his long career, regular participation in international symposia in Italy, France, Russia, and Germany, and the expressiveness of his work, the artist is known in professional circles far beyond Thuringia’s borders.
Important projects & stations (excerpt):
- Participation in the symposium on the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
- Participation in the symposium Liffol-le-Grand in Mont-Saint-Michel, France.
- Pope’s cross in Etzelsbach (5.20 m high).
- “Icarus” (2.7 m), made of marble in Penza/Russia.
Through passion, man lives, according to the artist. This passion will also flow into the wooden sculpture that Heinz Günther will create at the Sculptors Symposium in 2022.
