Sculpture installation ‘The Patron’, Bayreuth

The city of Bayreuth is internationally renowned for its festival celebrating the work of Richard Wagner. The festival theatre was opened in the summer of 1876 – an event that made music history. It was then that the entire opera cycle ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’ was performed for the first time.

To this day, the appeal of this event demonstrates ‘the communicative power and mobilising energy that innovative artistic concepts can generate’, as Ottmar Hörl once put it. Art in all its forms of expression acts as an essential catalyst, as a source of inspiration for education and social and personal development. This conviction also connects three personalities: the composer Richard Wagner, King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the contemporary conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl.

Without the support of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Richard Wagner would hardly have been able to realise his artistic vision to such an extent. Both shared a passion for poetry and music, a kindred spirit in the spirit of Romanticism. Ludwig, who attended a performance of ‘Lohengrin’ as early as 1861, was impressed by Wagner’s ideas on music theory and music philosophy. In Wagner, he recognised the creative spirit that knew how to combine opulent soundscapes with themes from Germanic mythology and legends to create a moving Gesamtkunstwerk. The idea of a festival theatre as a place of artistic experience and emotion was a common concern for both of them. In many ways, they opened a new chapter in the history of musical theatre and left a lasting cultural mark. ‘Ludwig II was Wagner’s most important patron, whose works in turn inspired the king to undertake architectural and interior design projects’¹ for his extraordinary palace buildings, which to this day continue to inspire people from all over the world to travel to Bavaria.

To highlight Ludwig’s role as Wagner’s patron and the impact of promoting the arts, Ottmar Hörl has created a new series of gold-coloured figures of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, which now stand together with Richard Wagner figures on the central lawn in front of the Theatre, creating a unique image: Ludwig stands upright, with his typical water wave hairstyle and floor-length coat. His left hand rests loosely on his hip, his right arm is slightly bent, raised in a dignified royal salute to the arriving audience.

Eva Schickler