Schermbeck (NRW) – In the 15th century, “The Beautiful Magelone” was a glorious knight’s tale about the love of Count Peter of Provence and Magelone, the daughter of the King of Naples.
A good 550 years later, the Schermbecker Artist Bernd Caspar Dietrich (BCD, 65) worldwide success with a painting about the narrative material from the Middle Ages. His work of art “Magelone III” will be traded from April 11th at the famous auction house “Christie’s” in London. Starting value: a good 20,000 euros.
In the center of the painting is a core of wax and gold
“That’s a great accolade for me,” BCD cheered in the BILD interview. “It is comparable to writers who are nominated for the Nobel Prize. Most traded artists are usually over 80 or already dead. A living artist from the Ruhrgebiet at ‘Christie’s’ doesn’t happen every day…”
The inclusion in the auction catalog was made possible by a German collector who, after moving to France, made room at home and offered Dietrich’s work “Christie’s”. Experts examined the 1.40 m by 1.50 m work and were enthusiastic.
“Magelone III” was created in his workshop on the Lower Rhine during the pandemic
“We’re really excited to see what’s going to happen in the end,” says BCD. He considers a doubling of the value to be realistic. The auction runs for two weeks. “Most of the time, the mail only goes off in the last few hours.”
The idea for the multi-part series of pictures came from the opera singer Martin Gantner (57). He inspired BCD to interpret the play during the pandemic summer of 2020. “Magelone III” is made of concrete, pigment, wax and gold! “Count Peter is kidnapped at sea, his Magelone is left behind and a long odyssey begins until they find each other again. Symbolized by the melted core of wax and gold,” the caption says.
BCD is now prominently presented in the series between Gotthard Graubner (1930-2013) and Asgar Jorn (1914-1973).
Now, does Christie’s attention change anything about BCD’s perception in the scene? “My gallery is already rubbing its hands,” the artist smiles. “But we stay on the carpet and here in Schermbeck. My wife and I are real country bumpkins.”