German sculptor Hans Schwegerle studied in München at the Academy of Fine Arts where he became a professor in 1917. As early as 1908 he had founded his own school in München. He mostly created medals, and is considered to have produced more than 600 of them, but he also became known as a sculptor and illustrator. In 1938 he was arrested by the Gestapo for a short time because he had criticized the regime, but he created Hitler busts in 1941 and 1943, shown at the Great German Art Exhibitions. His earlier works were often created on behalf of the Church. Schwegerle later created famous busts of great German writers Thomas Mann and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
His earliest work submitted to the art competitions was the Siegerplakette für die sportlichen Wettkampf der Polizeiwehr Bayern (Winner’s medal for the sports competitions of the Bavarian police defence) designed in 1920. Fifteen of the 85.5 mm and 134 g bronze casted medals were coined. The Ehrenpreise der Reichsregierung für sportliche Leistungen (Honorary Awards of the Reich’s Government for sporting achievements) are bronze casted medals in slightly different versions, which were made in 1926-28, from 83.5 - 91 mm in diameter. A version with the Dutch inscription De Olympische Spelen van 1928 te Amsterdam was awarded by the German Reich’s Committee for Physical Exercises to the medal winners of the German 1928 Olympic team. The Schwimmerstatuette (Swimmer statuette) was exhibited at the Munich Art Exhibition 1928.
Germany