Stone Sculpture Museum and Stone Sculpture Park
Sculptures made from stones from every continent in front of the Rotenfels massif
In front of the mighty porphyry cliff face of the Rotenfels massif on the other side of the Nahe river, artist couple Wolfgang Kubach and Anna Kubach-Wilmsen have created a space for their life's work on a hilltop, establishing a landscape park with stone sculptures and a museum. The two sculptors have been working together since completing their studies in 1965 and have concentrated entirely on finding forms for stone objects that bring out the maximum effect of color, weight, surface, and structure—and thus the entire character of the material. Earth veins emerge from the depths like handles and then disappear again, multicolored books pile up toward the sky, marble columns appear as physical manifestations, and stone folios nestle softly against the ground. Again and again, the stone objects communicate with the fascinating landscape, with openings providing a view through. The variety of book sculptures found in many countries is almost inexhaustible in terms of material and color. Here, the Kubachs realized their idea of a stone library of geological history, for which they collected material from all continents during their travels – always on the lookout for new materials.
The foundation has integrated a museum based on plans by Japanese star architect Tadao Ando. His credo is a purist building philosophy oriented towards natural elements. He combined a historic barn building with contemporary concrete architecture, creating a light-flooded space open to the landscape with a water basin for the artworks. Ando's architecture of wood, glass, and concrete forms a congenial setting for 65 works of art. It combines the down-to-earth robustness of wood with the immaculate purity of concrete surfaces and an openness to light and outdoor space. The second generation of the artist dynasty, Michael Kropp and Livia Kubach-Kropp, also works with stone, but develops a completely different formal language. Here, stones become translucent and are made to resonate. Special exhibitions that change annually enrich the program.
The museum is open on weekends from April to October. The sculpture park is accessible all year round.
