Wilhelm "Willy" Wiedmann worked in many art directions, creating compositions, poems, paintings, and invented his own painting style: the Polycon painting. Wiedmann also attended and organised national and international exhibitions.
Throughout his career Wiedmann engaged with several famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Salvador Dalí. He was Stuttgart's first art dealer who displayed Dalí's art in his own gallery, "Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen."[3] Willy Wiedmann received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2002 for his work in the service of art and culture.[4]
In addition to his musical career, Willy Wiedmann studied painting at the State Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart (1960–1963), attending classes of Professor Willi Baumeister. After his studies, he invented the art of "Polycon painting[6]" (Polykonmalerei) which he officially exhibited for the first time in 1965 at the Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart. Throughout his career Wiedmann created over 30,000 paintings, which were presented in galleries worldwide.[5]
Between 1975 and 1998 Wiedmann redesigned artwork in churches in Germany, Italy, Austria, etc. Examples include the Martinskirche in Wildberg, "Martinsfenster" in 1982, in cooperation with Volker Saile[7] and Laleh Bastian,[8] and the Pauluskirche[9] in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart in 1984.
The convergence between art and church gave Wiedmann the idea for his main work: "The Wiedmann Bible[2]". He worked for sixteen years (1984–2000) painting the 3,333 pictures, folded into an accordion-pleat style book (leporello). Wiedmann claimed that The Wiedmann Bible is the world's longest painted Christian Bible. It is painted in Wiedmann's own Polycon style.[2]
In 1964, Wiedmann opened his first art gallery Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart. He exhibited as one of the first art dealers of "Wiener Schule" and Neoclassicism, Salvador Dalí at his gallery (1966), as well as Nkoane Harry Moyaga[10] during the restrictive period of South African apartheid (1977). He was the first art dealer in Europe to exhibit the works of a black South African painter throughout this time.[11] Wiedmann ran a total of six national and international galleries throughout his career: among others are Pictures for Business in New York (1967–1977),[12][13] TWS-Etagengalerie in Stuttgart (1972–1977, director), and Kunsthoefle in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart (1983–1985, director).
Despite his profession as a painter, art dealer, musician, and composer, Wiedmann also pursued his passion for writing. He wrote seven books (author or illustrator), of which he published most of them himself. Other literary works include 500 poems, lyrics, and audio plays. Wiedmann often wrote using several pen-names, for example "Alkibiades Zickle", inspired by a favorite restaurant of his, "Zickle" in Bad Cannstatt.[14]
He uses pseudonyms including Emilio Gräsli, Alkibiades Zickle, Marc Johann, Theodor Abtsfeld, George Yugone, Eugen von Engelsbogen and Allan Doe.[citation needed]
Wilhelm Richard Heinrich (Willy) Wiedmann was born in 1929 in Ettlingen, Karlsruhe, Germany to his parents Richard and Klara Wiedmann, née Weiss. He was married to Klara Wiedmann, née Wagner, and fathered three children Richard, Cornelia and Martin. Wiedmann was known for his two pet Schnauzers: Jakob and Jakobine, named after his "Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen". They accompanied him and his wife on their trips, tours, exhibitions and festivals. Wiedmann died in 2013 at the age of 84 Jahren in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart.
Wilhelm Wiedmann was involved with several associations and organizations. He donated works to charity events, was a charity auctioneer himself, and a respected art critic. Starting in 1968 he took on private students such as the German actor Walter Schultheiss[16] or the artists Laleh Bastian and Ute Hadam.[17] Wiedmann was also very committed to the local art scene and culture and one of the founders of "Cultur in Cannstatt" (Stuttgart) in 1988.[18]
At Martinskirche he designed a notable glass window, "Martinsfenster", representing Jesus anointed by a Sinful Woman at Simon's premises (Lucas 7).[19]
"Projekt Weinkeller", Mall, township Kuchen, Göppingen in cooperation with Laleh Bastian[8] and Volker Saile.[7]
1970 Stuttgart Graphic Artists: Galerie Pictures for Business, 2-jährige Kunst-Tournee durch Universitäten und Bibliotheken in den USA (unter anderem Royalton College, South Royalton, Vermont und Half Hollow Hills Community Library (Gruppe));[20][21][22][23] USA
1970 George Yugone: "Moonart" – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1971 Eugen von Engelsbogen: "Die letzten Tage der Menschen" Grafiken – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1971 Eugen von Engelsbogen: "Kalenderbilder" – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1974 Eugen von Engelsbogen: Farbstiftzeichungen aus dem Zyklus "Der Tag Null" – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1974 Theodor Abtsfeld: Aquarelle und Bilder – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1975 Mark Johann: "Altes und neues Stuttgart" Tuschezeichnungen – TWS – Etagengalerie; Stuttgart, Germany
1975 Eugen von Engelsbogen: Farbstiftzeichungen – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1975 Emilio Gräsli: "Aquarelle eines Beleidigten" – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1976 Allan Doe: "Romanzen in Alu" – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
1976 Emilio Gräsli: "Aquarelle" – Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen; Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
2016–2017 Willy Wiedmann: "Special Exhibition – The Wiedmann-Bible and Willy Wiedmann's Life" (27 November – 5 February) – Weygang-Museum, Öhringen[24][25]
2017–2018 Willy Wiedmann: "The Wiedmann Bible Exhibition" showcasing Willy Wiedmann's life, the artist, and life's work (October 27 – April 28) – Museum of the Bible, Washington, D.C., U.S.[26]
Der Rittergarten. Die Gedichte des hochwohlgeborenen und weithin gepriesen und bekannten Melanchthon vom Knitterthal. Alkibiades Zickle, Emilio Graesli (author); Ohne Verlagsangaben, 1981.
Wenn's donnert und blitz: Feierobendgedichte und sonschtiges. Alkibiades Zickle, Emilio Gräsli Stuttgart: O. P. Veit; Stuttgart : W. Wiedmann, 1982.
Cannstatter G'schnatter. Gedichte von Alkibiades Zickle. Zeichnungen von Marc Johann; Stuttgart – Bad Cannstatt: Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen, 1982.
Stuttgarter Hufschlag. Altes und neues Stuttgart. Gedichte. Alkibiades Zickle (author), Marc Johann (illustrator); Stuttgart – Bad Cannstatt: Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen, 1982.
25 Jahre Galerie am Jakobsbrunnen. Willy Wiedmann; Stuttgart – Bad Cannstatt: Jakobsbrunnenverlag, 1989.
50 Jahre Kunsthöfle Bad Cannstatt. Hrsg.: Galerie Kunsthöfle Bad Cannstatt. Red.: Willy Wiedmann; Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, 1986.
Some data is based on written, unpublished information from Willy Wiedmann and his son Martin Wiedmann, as well as the students Laleh Bastian and Ute Hadam.
^"Willy Wiedmann"(PDF). Lex Art. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.