Gutberlet, Bonhoeffer Relief
The Art of unionität
Bonhoeffer Relief
„Miraculously protected by good forces, we confidently await whatever may come."
A Closer Look at the Work
The words Dietrich Bonhoeffers originated in prison in 1944 — a few months before the National Socialists murdered him. They are the words of a man who knew that his life would end, but who did not leave behind hatred but trust. Not fear but dignity. This is not about religion as an institution. It is about faith as a stance. It is about the question of what sustains people when all certainties are broken.
The bronze lends these words an almost eternal weight. It not only preserves a text, but also an inner resistance. The angels that surround the relief do not appear triumphant, but rather calm and watchful — like symbols of a hope that does not die even in the darkness. When one reads the words and hears the sound of the bell, a moment arises between memory and the present. A moment in which Bonhoeffer’s final lines do not seem to have passed, but are eerily alive.
About the Artist
Eberhard F. Gutberlet He is a sculptor and church restorer. In his work, he translates spiritual and historical content into forms of auratic presence—still, precise, enduring. The relief reminds us that true greatness is often silent. That humanity begins where people stand together despite fear.
Photos: © Marie Hess
Ardi Goldman Kunst-
und Kulturstiftung gGmbH
Uniongelände
Hanauer Landstraße 188, 60314 Frankfurt am Main