Bernd Hartmann

Bernd Hartmann (11 October 1905 in Wiedenbrück – 28 October 1972 in Rheda-Wiedenbrück), aliases Bernd Hartmann-Wiedenbrück and Bernd Hartmann-Lintel, was an academic sculptor and sacral artist. He belonged to the "Wiedenbrücker Schule" school of arts.
Hartmann came from a family of artists. His father "Heinrich Hartmann" (1868–1937) and his brother "Hubert Hartmann" (1915–2006) were also sculptors. After having been trained in Wiedenbrück between 1920 and 1924, Bernd Hartmann at first worked in Kleve, Osnabrück and Düsseldorf. From 1927 to 1935, he studied in Munich, followed by professorships in Münster and Munich. During the time of National Socialism, 20 of his works were exhibited at the "Great German Arts Exhibition" in the Munich "House of Arts". Many of his works from this period have to be considered Nazi propaganda art, e.g. the statues "Minenstecher" (Land Mine Searcher, 1940, sold to Adolf Hitler for a price of 5,900 reichsmark) and "Schütze" (Rifleman, sold to Hitler for a price of 14,000 reichsmark).
After the end of World War II, Bernd Hartmann moved back to his native region and predominantly produced religious art. In 1956, he married the artist Ima Rochelle. Bernd Hartmann died in 1972. In Rheda-Wiedenbrück, the street where he lived is named after him. Furthermore, a sculpture of the artist made by his wife is exhibited in a public park.