WASHINGTON D.C. (ANS) – The unique Wiedmann Bible will be revealed in the United States for the first time this Summer.
The Wiedmann Bible a unique piece of art depicting the entire Old and New Testament of the Bible in 3,333 painted images, named after the Stuttgart-based artist Willy Wiedmann (1929-2013), and to be revealed this Summer in Washington D.C.
The Wiedmann Bible is a continuous illustrated narrative of the Christian Bible, which Wiedmann worked on for 16 years. When unfolded, the Leporello is approx. 1.2 km (1,166 miles) long, the longest illustrated Bible ever created. It is also the only existing visual narrative worldwide, depicting the Old and New Testaments.
“The story of the Wiedmann Bible is about a man who created a one of a kind artwork over a period of 16 years, but was never able to publish it. It is also the story about a son who took it upon himself to carry on his father’s mission: To engage more people with the Bible visually,” said Carolyn Rossinsky, President of the Wiedmann Bible Foundation which, with her husband, Frank Wohlfahrt, and Wiedmann’s son Martin, was created to fulfill Wiedmann’s mission.
“Wiedmann did not have the opportunity to publish his work. Therefore, he buried his dream and the illustrated bible in the attic of his art gallery, where his son, Martin Wiedmann, discovered it after his father’s death. Martin then had the pictures digitized, creating the Wiedmann Bible in book form,” Rossinsky said.
“Willy Wiedmann’s ultimate purpose for his work was simple: to engage people visually with the Bible. He wanted to paint something that would bring people joy, something that would break down the complicated written biblical stories and visualize them.”
Wiedmann is known to have said: “Perhaps the one or the other will be able to feel God’s glory and directive through the images, or whether they find consolation or admonition, keeping them in their spirit. Then the artist’s work assignment would be justified.”
Rossinsky said it was important for Wiedmann to create something that would enable more people to engage with the Bible.
“As the Wiedmann Bible is a visual representation of the Bible it transcends all languages and allows anyone and everyone to experience it, regardless of reading comprehension levels, meaning, it gives everyone access to God’s word by encouraging people to reflect and think about the images.”
The Wiedmann Bible exhibition has been at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. since October, 2018. It has been one of the Museum’s most popular exhibitions so far and was therefore extended to September, 2019.
Rossinsky added: “Our goal for showcasing the work is for people to connect and engage with the Bible in a new and exciting way, namely visually. We hope to make the written scripture easier to understand through Wiedmann’s painted images. The exhibit contains an interactive kiosk allowing people to browse through the biblical stories, explore the attic where the artwork was kept hidden for decades and to learn more about the artist himself and the art style he created, named Polycon.”
Rossinsky said the aim of the Foundation is that people who visit the exhibit will experience a sense of inspiration, awe, spiritual glory and will find a new way of viewing and interacting with the Bible.
“The App for example, can be used for Bible study, during service or church events. Several churches and organisations have done so already. We recently published our first Bible reading plan on YouVersion. But our main wish is that Willy Wiedmann’s mission, to engage more people with the Bible, will be fulfilled when people view his life’s work.
“In addition, we want to send a message of persistence, or as Martin Wiedmann said: ‘When my father wanted to publish his work, he was rejected so many times. However, he never gave up. He said that God’s wisdom gave him the chance to finish what he started, and he believed that this work needed to be shared. Even if it did not happen until decades later.’”
The Wiedmann Bible will be unfolded for the very first time in the United States this Summer. This event will take place on June 1, 2019, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the historic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington D.C., and is being presented by the Museum of the Bible with the support of the Wiedmann Bible Foundation.
The Museum of the Bible is hosting the event to unfold a facsimile of the entire Wiedmann Bible which is almost one mile long. Currently the Foundation is looking for volunteers who want to become part of this epic event. For more information and to register for the event please click here https://www.museumofthebible.org/exhibits/the-wiedmann-bible .
To see the Museum of the Bible press release as it is shown on the Wiedmann Bible website please click here https://thewiedmannbible.com/category/press-release/ .
