Artwork "Head at the station" is back in its place

Many people in Bocholt had already asked themselves where it had gone, the "head" of the Bocholt train station. Now the work of art by Hede Bühl is back in its original place. It has been cleaned and discreetly restored in some places - but not polished: the rust is intentional on the part of the artist.

About the artwork

The "Head" was erected in October 1991, and a rather controversial public dialogue broke out about this work of art, which had cost 40,000 marks at the time.

"The head - an expression of meditation - on the platform - a symbol of fleeting activity - invites the restless drifter and the waiting person to pause and, in contemplating the head, to move from the superficial to the essential," were the words of Gerd Wiesmann, then chairman of the Bocholt cultural committee. The topicality of the quotation has probably not changed.

Dismantling and discreet restoration

Last year, the work of art had to be dismantled for a short time due to the construction site at the train station. The "head" was already quite corroded and had numerous smearings. The artist had it reworked by her locksmith. The sculptor, who is now 82 years old, was unable to take part in the renewed installation at the station.

About the artist

Hede Bühl is a German sculptor. She attended the Art Academy in Düsseldorf, where she studied under Josef Mages and Joseph Beuys. She lives and works in Düsseldorf. In her works the artist deals with the human body and especially with the head. Bühl was awarded the Käthe Kollwitz Prize of the Academy of Arts Berlin), the Villa Romana Prize (Florence), the Villa Massimo Fellowship (Rome) and the Grand Prize for Sculpture of the New Delhi Triennale.