Joachim Schmettau
German sculptor and university teacher (born 1937)
About Joachim Schmettau
Born 1937. Joachim Schmettau is a German sculptor and university teacher.
Joachim Schmettau (born 5 February 1937, Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg) is a German sculptor.
Life Schmettau has been living in Berlin since 1945. From 1956 to 1960, he studied at the Berlin University of the Arts, where he graduated as a student of in 1961. From 1966 to 1990, he participated as a member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund at a total of 18 large annual DKB exhibitions. He was a founding member of the Gruppe Aspekt of the Berlin Critical Realists in 1972.
From 1971 to 2002, Schmettau was a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, where Beate Schroedl-Baurmeister was one of his pupils.
Awards 1968 Villa Romana prize, Florence 1970/1971 Villa Massimo Prize, Rome 1971 Medaglia d'oro, premio del Fiorino, Florence 1977 Berliner Kunstpreis 1980 Kunstpreis der Künstler, Düsseldorf
Works His first works were in sandstone as well as in plaster and stucco. In the 1960s, he began to combine various materials (bronze, glass) and smoothing the surface extremely. Figurative and geometrical elements were also combined, so that the work as a whole appears to have an intensified stylization.
His works for the public space (façade reliefs, fountains, and so on) is also extensive. His best-known work is the 1984 "Erdkugelbrunnen" on the Breitscheidplatz in Charlottenburg, also called the "Weltkugelbrunnen" or the "Wasserklops".
Public projects (selection)
1975 Bronze sculpture Hand mit Uhr, Berlin-Hansaviertel 1978 University Library Freiburg, Bridge sculptures 1982 Figurine group for the Deutschen Hof in Güglingen 1985 Tanzendes Paar, Berlin-Neukölln, Hermannplatz 1986 Music fountain, Düsseldorf (Grabenstraße for the Wilhelm Marx House) 1989 Europabrunnen (Dortmund), well installation consisting of 2 wells (Hellweg) 1996 Sculpture Frau, sich die Maske abnehmend for the Kreissparkasse Heilbronn 1998 Brunnen Tanzende Figur, Waldplatz, Leipzig 2010 Musikant, Löhne Music School, bronze figure for Tänzerin with Susanne Wehland
Exhibitions (selection)
1970 Joachim Schmettau : Plastik und Zeichnungen, Kunsthalle Mannheim (mit Katalog) 1978 Joachim Schmettau. Plastiken, Zeichnungen, Studio Jaeschke, Bochum 1980/81 Joachim Schmettau - Skulpturen und Zeichnungen 1960 - 1980, Kunstverein Hannover; Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Deutschhof-Museum (mit Katalog) 1987 Joachim Schmettau, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin (mit Katalog) 1993 Joachim Schmettau : Skulpturen, Bilder, Zeichnungen, Galerie Eva Poll, Berlin (mit Katalog) 2002/03 Neue Skulpturen, Galerie Poll, Berlin 2004 SOMMERLUST - KUNST-STÜCKE, Galerie Rothe, Frankfurt 2007 Joachim Schmettau - Skulpturen und Architekturmodelle, Galerie der Kunststiftung Poll, Berlin
Exhibitions at home and abroad (selection) 1963 XIII. Jahresausstellung, Neuer Darmstädter Sezession 1964 13. Ausstellung des Deutschen Künstlerbund, Academy of Arts, Berlin, Hochschule für bildende Künste und Haus am Waldsee (ebenfalls in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974,1976, 1978, 1979, 1981 und 1986) 1965 Große Berliner Kunstausstellung, Messehallen Berlin 1973 Prinzip Realismus, Akademie der Künste Berlin 1980 Große Kunstausstellung Düsseldorf, Kunstpalast Ehrenhof, Düsseldorf (ebenfalls in 1981, 1983, 1084, und 1985) 1996 VIII. Biennale Internazionale di Scultura, Accademia di Belle Arti 2000 Auf den Punkt gebracht. Porzellane für Meissen - Max Adolf Pfeiffer zu Ehren, Leipzig Museum of Applied Arts, Leipzig 2005 Große Kunstausstellung NRW Düsseldorf 2008 L'Accademia Nazionale di San Luca per una collezione del disegno contemporaneo Accademia di San Luca 2010 Glückwunsch, Forum Kunst (1970-1010)!, Forum Kunst Rottweil
Works in public collections Osthaus-Museum Hagen, Hagen Kunstmuseum Bonn Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin Berlin State Museums Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (Bergamo) Bavarian State Painting Collections Berlinische Galerie – State Museum of Modern Art, Berlin Kunsthalle Mannheim Museum Bochum – Kunstsammlung Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Oldenburg Beelden aan Zee, The Hague-Scheveningen Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern Bundeskunstsammlung, Collection of Contemporary Art of the Federal Republic of Germany Städtische Museen Heilbronn
Literature Lothar C. Poll (Hrsg.): Joachim Schmettau : Zeichnungen 1967-1981, ein Alphabet. (Werkübersicht aus Anlass der Ausstellung der Zeichnungen von Joachim Schmettau in der Galerie Poll im April 1982). Galerie Poll, Berlin 1982, (Poll-Editionen. Bd. 1). Joachim Schmettau: Skulpturen. Stock-und-Stein-Verlag, Schwerin . Joachim Schmettau: Zeichnungen. Stock-und-Stein-Verlag, Schwerin Joachim Schmettau: Skulpturen 2003–2010. Nicolai-Verlag, Berlin . Joachim Schmettau: Architekturphantasien. Nicolai-Verlag, Berlin .
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Important facts
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Joachim Schmettau?
German sculptor and university teacher (born 1937)
When was Joachim Schmettau born?
Joachim Schmettau was born on 5 February 1937 in Bad Doberan.
What is Joachim Schmettau's occupation?
Joachim Schmettau is a sculptor and university teacher.
What nationality is Joachim Schmettau?
Joachim Schmettau is German.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Joachim Schmettau
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APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Joachim Schmettau. https://biography.guide/joachim-schmettau/
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