On 12 March 2024, gallery owner Sarah Kronsbein and artist HERMANN invited visitors to the exhibition "Alice in Wonderland" at Munich's Maximilianstrasse

From the Brown Hare to the "Golden Kohlrabi": Celebrities including Stephanie von Pfuel, Susanne Seehofer, Uschi Dämmrich von Luttitz, Petra Reinbold, Marianne Wille, Denise Schindler and the Meise Twins had the pleasure of an artistic journey into the wonderful world of nature!

For decades he grew vegetables in his native Austria but now he is turning the "gold of the earth" into great art. He uses his hands to dig in the earth but treats his objets d'art like rough diamonds. He has remained down-to-earth, with a penchant for the extravagant. We are talking about the artist HERMANN. The "Kronsbein Gallery" has now brought this Austrian sculptor and his artworks to Munich for the first time. For this, it invited visitors on an impressive journey into the wonders of nature.

On Tuesday evening, gallery owner Sarah Kronsbein and HERMANN invited visitors to attend the exhibition debut under the title "Alice in Wonderland" in the gallery owner's private rooms at Munich's Maximilianstrasse. At the premiere – HERMANN'S first solo exhibition and also the first big event after the realignment of the "Kronsbein Galerie" – the two hosts also welcomed numerous celebrities from the worlds of art, culture and business, nobility and society.

The guests included Stephanie Countess of Pfuel, the model twins Nina and Julia Meise, cyclist Denise Schindler, entrepreneur Conrado Dornier, Marianne Will ("Dallmayr"), restaurateur and Oktoberfest hostess Petra Reinbold, presenter Uschi Dämmrich von Luttitz and their daughter Stephanie Baroness von Luttitz, entrepreneur Judith Epstein, politician Susanne Seehofer (daughter of Horst Seehofer), Sky presenter Gregor Teicher as well as host Anja Countess von Keyserlingk with her husband Konstantin. They all admired the works: the colourful and oversized sculptures that have their origins in nature: The "Brown Hare" met the "Golden Kohlrabi" and a quartet of tomatoes – "the Concerto di Pomodoro" encountered an oversized "Princess", the pea.

For 40 years, HERMANN, whose full name is Hermann Nachbaur, worked as a vegetable farmer at his home in the southern Rhine Valley in Voralberg. He made sure, virtually on a daily basis until 2017, that plants would sprout from the seed - after which he fully dedicated himself to his passion, art. Nature continues to serve as his greatest inspiration in his artistic work, from which all his motifs originate. "He falls back on 'the gold of nature' to create oversized works of art from gold, bronze and brass. All the materials are sourced locally – true to the motto: "Where I come from is where I belong." Hammering, moulding, glazing, polishing, sanding – everything is produced in his own workshop, his former vegetable farm. Ideas for his works also thrive there, all of which are unique," explains Sarah Kronsbein.

One of the works in "Alice in Wonderland" is the "Brown Hare": "The brown hare epitomises the art of rebirth and resurrection, being the symbol of fertility and sensual pleasure", says Sarah Kronsbein. "All HERMANN's works are based on the wonders of the earth and on their fertility. The message is that we must cultivate the "field of the future" with love and care in order to maintain the interaction between all living beings and the plant world for future generations." At the event, she was actively supported by her son Dorian. After the death of her father Dirk G. Kronsbein, she closed the gallery in Munich's Wurzerstraße and now works from her private premises, where she realises various art projects as well as the upcoming exhibition by HERMANN with the title "Three of a Kind", which launches at the "Egerner Höfe" in Rottach-Egern on 11 April.

The main work in the exhibition is the "Golden Kohlrabi". HERMANN explained this work of art to the guests, which has a size of 70 x 70 x 200 cm: "Kohlrabi is considered a cheap vegetable, but it contains very important nutrients. That was the decisive inspiration for creating an homage to this miracle seed and fruit in the form of a sculpture – symbolising a "valuable" food. The result is a kohlrabi made of brass-bronze alloy, hand-modelled and hammered by hand, hand polished several times, matt blasted. The leaves and veins were finely polished with specially made tools, 24-carat gold plated and finally finely polished several times. To realise this work, it was necessary to collaborate with specialists who refine interiors for Bugatti and Rolls Royce," says HERMANN. "The whole working process took over two years to complete this sculpture perfectly. This is also the demand I make on my thinking, artistic work and my works."

"I really like the work," says Marianne Wille from "Dallmayr". "The artist is deeply focused on sustainability and care which are precisely the values that are also very important in my industry." And host Gregor Teicher had this to say: "Great work and above all the kind of art that you don't see every day."

"My favourite piece is the Golden Kohlrabi," praised cyclist Denise Schindler. "It is enchanting how he turns his craft into art."

Host Uschi Dämmrich von Luttitz was particularly impressed by the "Tomato" works: "I love tomatoes and always have different varieties at home, from the small cocktail tomatoes to sweet vine tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes. It's great to see an artist transform them into art." She was delighted about the meeting with the "tomato emperor" Erich Stekovics who travelled all the way from his Austrian homeland, the Burgenland, where he grows more than 1000 different varieties of tomatoes.

For HERMANN, sustainability has been a maxim from the very beginning: First as a farmer, and now as a artist. Incidentally, his personal favourite vegetable is the carrot, because it changed his life dramatically. "I come from the generation when vegetables were grown in the cellars of private homes to ensure daily access," he explains. This is also where his reference comes from to the classic original vegetables such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, etc. "They are all vegetable varieties that are now being brought back to life in modern gourmet cuisine." HERMANN also turned the last carrot that he harvested in his original profession ("The End") into a work of art: "This was harvested in the morning dew, cooled immediately and elaborately plated with 24-carat gold in five steps. The result is the sculpture Ackergold, which can also be seen here," he said. Following this exhibition, he will show his works at a private event at "Galerie Budja" in Salzburg (from 23 March) and afterwards, from 11 April, at the 5-star hotel "Egerner Höfe" on Lake Tegernsee.

As an artist HERMANN is largely self-taught and describes himself as a "student of nature". "Even as a child, I felt a passion for art, but a different career path was set out for me. I was supposed to take over my parents' business. My life consisted of work in the field, and as a father of seven and husband, also of family commitments." Four of his seven children, Rudi, Allegra, Cosima and India were present that evening, as was his wife Sabrina. As a former vegetable farmer, he particularly appreciates the value of food: He attaches great importance to high quality and also enjoys visiting gourmet restaurants: "This closes the circle, because as with my craft, it's all about quality and manual labour – and not about mass and consumption," he says.

In keeping with the work, the Austrian celebrity chef Kevin Micheli created a special 'Flying Menu', based on his art: This included, among other things, the "Hermann Tomato" (gazpacho with basil), kohlrabi with yuzu and salmon trout, the "golden carrot" with potatoes, spinach and truffles and, for dessert, the "potato box'' – a chocolate crumble with hidden potatoes filled with vanilla and blueberries – as well as a "carrot cake a la Hermann".

The guests also included: Anna von Bismarck, Princess Hermine zu Salm-Salm, Antonella Fort-Wolf (Allianz), photographer and filmmaker Alberto Venzago, the influencer Nik Mosch and Julia Pohl ("Gluecksmuetter"), beauty doctor Dr Constanze Neuhann-Lorenz with husband Lothar Strobach, artist Richard Wurm, Margarita Cittadini-Leinfelder (Member of the PIN Committee) with her son Maxi, property entrepreneur Hannes Ritter, stylist Oliver Rauh, musical performers Florian Hüttner, Andrea Wecke (Gmund Papier), Nathalie Ziegler and many more.