Leuna sculpture park

The idea of placing contemporary sculptures in the open space of a park, bringing art to people working for large, state-owned companies, arose in the early 1960s, a time of stifling cultural policy. Heinz Schönemann (b. 1934), who directed the Halle museum between 1958 and 1968, found a partner keen to put his idea into practice: the director of the “Walter Ulbricht” chemical company in Leuna.

The park, first set out in the Garden City of Leuna in 1920 and redesigned after the war, offered excellent conditions. Accordingly, bronze sculptures were set up in the green spaces, on themes which matched one another and the plants. Some were purchased from the artists by the museum, others were commissioned.

The range of topics among the sculptures, stretching over two decades (1947–67), extends from memorials to depictions of members of the working classes and the “new Socialist image of mankind”. Well-known GDR sculptors integrated the influences of international Modernism into their designs, combined with Expressionist trends.

A younger generation was inspired by contemporary sculpture in Europe – sparking a public discussion between officials and artists in Leuna about artistic freedom!