David with the Sling

History of the work

At the corner of Murtenstrasse, Knospenweg and Bodenacker in the west of Bern stands a fountain with a bronze figure by Gustave Piguet from 1952. It is called 'David mit der Steinschleuder' (David with the Sling); the title refers to the biblical figure of David. Wikimedia Commons shows it as the David fountain, with the stairway of the pedestrian underpass at Knospenweg behind it.

According to SIKART, Gustave Piguet was born in Interlaken on 19 February 1909 and died on 12 December 1976; his place of citizenship was Le Chenit in the Vaud Jura. SIKART describes him as a sculptor who worked mainly for buildings and public space. A short biography on the art portal AskArt says he trained in Bern as a wood and stone sculptor, then went to Paris and took part in the 1937 World Exhibition there. In 1939 the outbreak of the Second World War brought him back to Bern; many commissions for public space followed. Among the sites of his work, AskArt names the Kunsthalle, the town hall and the church of St Peter.

The David was made during this period of public commissions. According to a city brochure, these were also the years in which the west of Bern grew strongly, so that the Bümpliz cemetery, for example, had to be extended in the 1950s and 1960s. The available sources give no information on the client, the foundry or the size of the figure.

Piguet also inspired younger artists. According to Wikipedia, the sculptor Walter Kretz gave up his path to the school-leaving exam after visiting Piguet and began an apprenticeship as a stone sculptor. Kretz's works include the communal grave in the Bümpliz cemetery, not far from here. At the David fountain, walk around the figure and look for the sling named in the title.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · SIKART: Gustave Piguet · AskArt: Gustave Piguet, Biografie · Wikipedia (de): Walter Kretz · Stadt Bern, Stadtgrün: Broschüre Friedhof Bümpliz (2018) · Wikimedia Commons: Davidbrunnen (David mit Steinschleuder, Gustave Piguet 1952)