Bruno Walpoth

Bruno Walpoth (1959, Bressanone/Brixen, Italy) is an Italian sculptor from Ortisei (Val Gardena). As a young boy he was apprenticed to the sculptor Vincenzo Mussner in Ortisei (1973-1978). From 1978 to 1984, he attended the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of Fine Arts) in Munich, where he studied under Professor Hans Ladner. Thereafter he was a teacher at the vocational school for sculptors in Selva Val Gardena (1985- 2008). Along with Willy Verginer and Walter Moroder he founded the sculptor’s group Trisma in 1996. Since 2000 he is a member of the Südtiroler Künstlerbund. ‘Bruno Walpoth‘s human figures created from limewood or walnut come about as a result of his meeting and dealing with models. On a scale of one-to-one, the bodies, lines and forms (…) take shape from the block of wood by means of his hands. Although Walpoth is attracted to producing concrete likenesses, (…) in his or her outward appearance the model serves as a cover surface for implied projections’ (Lisa Trockner). The sculptor uses semi-translucent paint to coat his sculptures in order to ensure that the wood grains are visible. Nevertheless, there is a sense of life and humanity in the figures which often seem quite pensive. Walpoth has had many exhibitions. Solo shows (selection): Accesso Galleria, Pietrasanta (2015), Galleria Civica, Bressanone ( 2015), Galerie Frank Schlag, Essen (2016). Group exhibitions (selection): Artefiera Bologna, Galleria dell’Incisione (2015), Triennale, Bad Ragartz (die Schweiz).