Bert Neumann

Bert Neumann was one of the leading stage and costume designers in the history of German theatre. The artist, who was born in Magdeburg in 1960 and grew up in East Berlin, played a key role in shaping the aesthetic of the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in his role as Head of Design from 1992 to 2015 as well as setting graphic trends with the group of artists LSD that have had a lasting influence on Berlin’s urban environment. His wheeled Robbers sculpture became the trademark of the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. He became known in particular for constructing innovative, habitable spaces which the theatre audience could at times see into through videos. After many years working with Frank Castorf, he continued to create stage designs for René Pollesch and Jossi Wieler, making numerous guest appearances at the Berlin Theatertreffen as well as a host of theatres and opera houses that included the Opéra National de Paris, De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam, Staatsoper Stuttgart and the Opéra Bastille in Paris. Neumann’s artistic work was recognised with the Josef Kainz Medal of the City of Vienna, the Hein-Heckroth Prize for Stage Design and the Berliner Zeitung’s Critics’ Prize. The stage designer died in 2015 at the age of 54.