Gedion Kebede

b. 1983, chef

"Can art be like a time machine?

When I look at this sculpture of Saint Sebastian, I am impressed by the artist’s skill. But I also feel transported back to a certain time and place. I like this feeling of connection with the past and with other cultures.

Art enables us to have this kind of experience, which I think is important."

St. Sebastian, 17th century

Lime

(H x W x D)190 × 54 × 42 cm

Place of originAlpine region

Status

on display, room 020

About the workBound and clad only in a loincloth, the saint leans against a tree trunk, pierced by arrows. According to legend, Sebastian was a Roman captain who was condemned to be killed by archers because of his Christian faith. This martyrdom, which the saint survived with grave injuries, has been depicted in various ways since the Middle Ages: Sebastian appeared in the role of the protective soldier and, from the sixteenth century onwards, increasingly in that of the wounded youth. In this period, the subject often served as justification for the presentation of male beauty.

AccessionAcquisition 1956

Provenance[...]; 1956 angekauft von Franz Hardy, Bendorf/Rhein

Inventory numberP 1956-9

Contact

sammlung@kunstpalast.de

Permalink

https://sammlung.kunstpalast.de/en/objects/52724/hl-sebastian

Expand