Museum of the Bible Receives Unique German Bible for Collection

Washington/Stuttgart, September 25th, 2019 — From today on, the largest Bible museum in the world will call the world’s longest painted Bible its own. President and CEO Ken McKenzie will accept the gift of one of the limited print copies on behalf of the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. (USA).

Occasion for the handover of the golden ART-Edition is that one of the museum’s most popular exhibitions has come to an end. For one year Willy Wiedmann’s works had been here on display. The exhibition was extended twice. On June 1st, 2019, more than 400 volunteers and staff members unfolded the nearly mile-long Wiedmann Bible facsimile along the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial. This event was the first complete unveiling of the German artwork in the United States.

“This was our first exhibition in the US. The feedback we have received was amazing. I am very thankful that we had the opportunity to showcase my father’s work here at the Museum of the Bible,” says Martin Wiedmann, the artist’s son. “In order for everyone to be able to experience this unique Bible, I decided to donate one of the limited ART-Editions to the museum.“

By now, among others, Pope Francis, the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, the Bavarian State Library in Munich, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar, and the Bible museum bibliorama in Stuttgart added the Wiedmann Bible ART-Edition to their inventory.

A newly founded non-profit organisation has taken on the mission to artfully engage people with the Holy Scriptures through artistic expressions. The Wiedmann Bible Foundation plans on showcasing the German artwork throughout the US and wants to publish an ART-Edition in English, soon. Institutions interested in future exhibitions can contact the foundation at info@wiedmannbible.org

Contact the Wiedmann Bible:
Wiedmann Media AG
Martin Wiedmann
P.O. Box 614
CH - 8853 Lachen
Switzerland

Martin Wiedmann Tel.: +41 79 400 9774
Diana Lammerts Tel.: +49 151 240 77997
Email: press@thewiedmannbible.com

Wiedmann Media AG: Production and distribution of artistic, literary and graphic works. The Company may acquire, enhance and dispose of licenses and other intellectual property. The Company is the owner of the Wiedmann Bible.

About the Wiedmann Bible
The Wiedmann Bible is the only visual narrative of the Bible depicting the complete Old and New Testament in 3,333 illustrations. After 16 years (1984–2000) of creative effort, and with the help of over 40 different Bible translations, German artist Willy Wiedmann completed his life’s work: 19 leporellos (accordion-style books) containing 3,333 images with a total length of almost 1 mile. Due to the lack of technology and monetary funds, Wiedmann was not able to publish his artwork. Because of this, he stored it in four aluminum boxes in his gallery’s attic in Stuttgart, Germany, where it fell into oblivion.

After Wiedmann’s death in 2013, his son Martin found the leporellos 
and decided to complete his father’s mission: to share the Bible with the world. Today, it is known as the Wiedmann Bible and it is the longest illustrated Bible ever created. You can discover the Wiedmann Bible through an interactive app and kiosk in English, German, and Spanish, as well as through a limited print edition. In 2018, the Wiedmann Bible made its first visit to the US and is now on display at Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, until April 28, 2019.

About Willy Wiedmann
Wilhelm Richard Heinrich “Willy” Wiedmann (* March 14, 1929, in Ettlingen, Germany † June 21, 2013, in Stuttgart, Germany) was a musician, composer, visual artist, church painter, gallery owner, curator, husband, and father. Wiedmann created his own artistic style which he called Polycon. It is made up of multiple panels comprised of geometric forms that overlap, intertwine and complement each other. The different compositions create pictures within pictures, which can be perpetuated endlessly. His vision was to create a complete, illustrated Bible as a continuous visual narrative. He pored over the words of the Bible, using over 40 different translations to aid his understanding. In 2002 the Willy Wiedmann was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his work in the service of art and culture.

This release was published on openPR.