Man (tributo a Manfred Gnädinger) / (tribute to Manfred Gnädinger)

Man, tribute to Manfred Gnädinger (1936-2002) acrylic on canvas (60x70 cm) (2024)

Manfred Gnädinger, known as Man or The German from Camelle (Radolfzell am Bodensee, January 27, 1936 - Camelle, December 28, 2002), was a German painter, philosopher, and sculptor who lived as a recluse in the parish of Camelle, part of the municipality of Camariñas, on the Costa de la Muerte (Galicia).

He tried to lead as simple and natural a life as possible, creating outdoor sculptures near the beach where he lived and tending his small garden.

He was born and spent his childhood in Germany, coming from a family of seven siblings, and studied art in Italy. He taught art classes in Switzerland to people with social integration problems. His interest in environmental preservation and curiosity to explore the Galician coast led him to the Costa de la Muerte (Coast of Death). In May 1962, he arrived in Camelle, immersed in the patron saint festivities of the Holy Spirit. From that day on, this solitary, polite, handsome German with a certain air of a wealthy tourist settled permanently in the town.

During the Prestige accident in November 2002, the oil slick damaged his sculptures. It is believed that the German allowed himself to die of melancholy and sadness. Before the Prestige accident, Man claimed to have dreamed of an enormous black whale, which appeared dead at the foot of his sculpture garden. After burying the animal, the anchorite saw himself dying.

On November 9, 2010, a storm destroyed what remained of his work.