Löwenselbst [Lion-Self]
Dieter Roth
1969
Löwenselbst [Lion-Self]
Löwenselbst [Lion-Self]
Löwenselbst [Lion-Self]
Löwenselbst [Lion-Self]
In the mid-1960s, Dieter Roth began producing multiples in a variety of forms, some incorporating edible materials such as sugar, cheese, bananas, spices, and chocolate. In this monumental bust, the artist portrayed himself as a ...
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Löwenselbst [Lion-Self]
Dieter Roth
1969
Düsseldorf/Hamburg
Chocolate cast
22× 17 × 15 cm
Edition of 250 [planned]

In the mid-1960s, Dieter Roth began producing multiples in a variety of forms, some incorporating edible materials such as sugar, cheese, bananas, spices, and chocolate. In this monumental bust, the artist portrayed himself as a seated lion. A motif that has persisted throughout the history of art, from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Kiki Smith's Woman with Lion (2003) and Ai Weiwei's Blue-and-White Porcelain Lion Merged with Toy Bricks (2023), the lion has been associated with power, authority, protection, and wisdom. As Dirk Dobke observes, however, Roth's lion carries distinctly personal associations:


 


“This sculpture is both a homage to his companion at that time, Dorothy Iannone, whom he called 'my lioness', and a depiction of an alter ego in the form of a seated lion (which anyone who is unfamiliar with the title might easily mistake for a dachshund). The lion motif played an important part in his graphic work during these years. Possibly the idea of the chocolate Löwenselbst was inspired by the place where Rudolf Rieser lived in Cologne Löwenich, Lion-I.” (Dirk Dobke, Dieter Roth: Books + Multiples, 2004, p. 15)

Düsseldorf/Hamburg
Chocolate cast
22× 17 × 15 cm
Edition of 250 [planned]

In the mid-1960s, Dieter Roth began producing multiples in a variety of forms, some incorporating edible materials such as sugar, cheese, bananas, spices, and chocolate. In this monumental bust, the artist portrayed himself as a seated lion. A motif that has persisted throughout the history of art, from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Kiki Smith's Woman with Lion (2003) and Ai Weiwei's Blue-and-White Porcelain Lion Merged with Toy Bricks (2023), the lion has been associated with power, authority, protection, and wisdom. As Dirk Dobke observes, however, Roth's lion carries distinctly personal associations:

 

“This sculpture is both a homage to his companion at that time, Dorothy Iannone, whom he called 'my lioness', and a depiction of an alter ego in the form of a seated lion (which anyone who is unfamiliar with the title might easily mistake for a dachshund). The lion motif played an important part in his graphic work during these years. Possibly the idea of the chocolate Löwenselbst was inspired by the place where Rudolf Rieser lived in Cologne Löwenich, Lion-I.” (Dirk Dobke, Dieter Roth: Books + Multiples, 2004, p. 15)

DESCRIPTION

In the mid-1960s, Dieter Roth began producing multiples in a variety of forms, some incorporating edible materials such as sugar, cheese, bananas, spices, and chocolate. In this monumental bust, the artist portrayed himself as a seated lion. A motif that has persisted throughout the history of art, from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Kiki Smith's Woman with Lion (2003) and Ai Weiwei's Blue-and-White Porcelain Lion Merged with Toy Bricks (2023), the lion has been associated with power, authority, protection, and wisdom. As Dirk Dobke observes, however, Roth's lion carries distinctly personal associations:

 

“This sculpture is both a homage to his companion at that time, Dorothy Iannone, whom he called 'my lioness', and a depiction of an alter ego in the form of a seated lion (which anyone who is unfamiliar with the title might easily mistake for a dachshund). The lion motif played an important part in his graphic work during these years. Possibly the idea of the chocolate Löwenselbst was inspired by the place where Rudolf Rieser lived in Cologne Löwenich, Lion-I.” (Dirk Dobke, Dieter Roth: Books + Multiples, 2004, p. 15)

Düsseldorf/Hamburg
Chocolate cast
22× 17 × 15 cm
Edition of 250 [planned]

In the mid-1960s, Dieter Roth began producing multiples in a variety of forms, some incorporating edible materials such as sugar, cheese, bananas, spices, and chocolate. In this monumental bust, the artist portrayed himself as a seated lion. A motif that has persisted throughout the history of art, from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Kiki Smith's Woman with Lion (2003) and Ai Weiwei's Blue-and-White Porcelain Lion Merged with Toy Bricks (2023), the lion has been associated with power, authority, protection, and wisdom. As Dirk Dobke observes, however, Roth's lion carries distinctly personal associations:

 

“This sculpture is both a homage to his companion at that time, Dorothy Iannone, whom he called 'my lioness', and a depiction of an alter ego in the form of a seated lion (which anyone who is unfamiliar with the title might easily mistake for a dachshund). The lion motif played an important part in his graphic work during these years. Possibly the idea of the chocolate Löwenselbst was inspired by the place where Rudolf Rieser lived in Cologne Löwenich, Lion-I.” (Dirk Dobke, Dieter Roth: Books + Multiples, 2004, p. 15)

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In the mid-1960s, Dieter Roth began producing multiples in a variety of forms, some incorporating edible materials such as sugar, cheese, bananas, spices, and chocolate. In this monumental bust, the artist portrayed himself as a seated lion. A motif that has persisted throughout the history of art, from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Kiki Smith's Woman with Lion (2003) and Ai Weiwei's Blue-and-White Porcelain Lion Merged with Toy Bricks (2023), the lion has been associated with power, authority, protection, and wisdom. As Dirk Dobke observes, however, Roth's lion carries distinctly personal associations:

 

“This sculpture is both a homage to his companion at that time, Dorothy Iannone, whom he called 'my lioness', and a depiction of an alter ego in the form of a seated lion (which anyone who is unfamiliar with the title might easily mistake for a dachshund). The lion motif played an important part in his graphic work during these years. Possibly the idea of the chocolate Löwenselbst was inspired by the place where Rudolf Rieser lived in Cologne Löwenich, Lion-I.” (Dirk Dobke, Dieter Roth: Books + Multiples, 2004, p. 15)

MORE BOOKS