Metropolis in the Making - 2 m Sculpture
The bear is currently located in our atelier in Mariendorf, Berlin. It can be collected there, or we would be pleased to provide you with a transport quotation to your location – please contact us directly at info@buddy-baer.com if you are interested.
Artist Frank Rödel created the Buddy Bear on the occasion of the Germany Year 2005/2006 in Tokyo. At the official opening on April 4, 2005, he presented the sculpture together with German Federal President Horst Köhler and Japanese Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi.
In the years that followed, this bear represented Germany as part of the United Buddy Bears exhibitions, which toured worldwide between 2006 and 2010.
"The 2 m Buddy Bear represents Berlin as a symbol of Germany’s capital and its history – from Prussia to modern democracy. It brings together tradition and future, past and renewal.
On the front, the Quadriga and the Reichstag with its glass dome symbolize transparency and democratic values, complemented by construction cranes as a sign of ongoing transformation. The Olympic Stadium with the rings stands for openness and fair competition. On the back, Frederick the Great and views of the Brandenburg Gate reflect the city’s historical depth."
Familiar motifs are reinterpreted through color and composition – offering a kaleidoscopic perspective on Berlin in transition.
The artistic technique combines appliqué and collage. Due to this technique, the sculpture is suitable for indoor display only.
Frank Rödel (*1954 in Weimar) is a German painter, world traveler and photographer known for his expressive, color-intensive works that explore landscape, memory and perception. For more than three decades, he has traveled to all continents – from the Arctic and Antarctic to deserts and volcanic regions – transforming these experiences into a distinctive visual language. Rather than depicting landscapes realistically, he captures emotional layers, atmospheres and inner imagery, often working with unusual perspectives such as aerial views.
His artistic practice includes painting, collage and photography and reflects a continuous exploration of nature and human perception. Rödel studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin and has exhibited internationally. In 2005, he was commissioned to design a Buddy Bear for the Germany Year in Tokyo, which he presented together with German Federal President Horst Köhler and Japanese Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi.