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| Signatures on this item | |
| *The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
| Name | Info |
  Burkard von Mullenheim-Rechberg (deceased) *Signature Value : £65 | Burkard von Mullenheim-Rechberg is a former German naval officer, lawyer, and ambassador. Born in Spandau into a family where the profession of arms was an established tradition, he entered the navy of the Weimar Republic in 1929. After service in a variety of ships and as assistant naval attache at the German Embassy in London, he was assigned to the Bismarck in May 1940. A year later he became the senior officer to survive her sinking. In 1952, after spending time as a prisoner of war and earning a law degree, the baron joined the diplomatic service of the Federal Republic of Germany. He served as consul general in Toronto and as ambassador to the West Indies, Zaire and Tanzania. Born in Prussia into a family with an established military tradition, Burkard Baron Mullenheim-Rechberg entered the Navy of the Weimar Republic in 1929. Burkard, like many Prussian officers, was critical of Hitler and his National Socialist Party. However, the regime did not accept criticism, and Burkard was forced to react with impotence or face the difficult fate awaiting dissenters. During his naval career Burkard served as an instructor at the Murwick Naval School, and as an assistant to the naval attachC, at the German Embassy in London. He had plenty of sea duty including time on both cruisers and destroyers. In May of 1940 Lieutenant-Captain Burkard was assigned to the Bismarck. He served as adjutant to Captain Ernst Lindemann, the Bismarck's commanding officer. Lindemann was an experienced gunnery expert, and given the Bismarck's enormous firepower, this background was deemed an asset. Captain Lindemann informed Burkard that the Bismarck would henceforth be referred to as a 'he' instead of the traditional 'she.' In addition to being an ideal duty assignment, serving as the adjutant to Captain Lindemann, provided Burkard insights, into Lindemann's character. The Bismarck was commissioned on August 24, 1940, but was unable to go to sea for several months because a sunken ship blocked the channel. At the time of the Bismarck's demise on May 27,1941, Burkard was Fourth Gunnery Officer, and he was the highest ranking officer to survive the great ship's sinking. He became a prisoner of war, and spent much of the remainder of the war in Canadian prisoner camps. Burkhard earned a law degree after the war and joined the German diplomatic service in 1952. His first assignment was in Iceland followed by posting to Oslo Norway where he was head of the consular section on the German Embassy. He served in a variety of posts. He was Consul General in Toronto, and Ambassador to the West Indies, Tanzania, and Zaire. Burkhard retired from the diplomatic service in 1975. Since that time he has lived with his wife in upper Bavaria. He has authored two books on the Bismarck, and has served as a consultant to movie producers and other WW II authors. In addition to being one of the world's foremost authorities on the Bismarck, and its demise, Burkard has written extensively regarding his reflections on the political nature of the Nazi regime and its criminal misdeeds. Many officers which served their country during the war were unaware of the crimes and atrocities of the Nazis, where others with some knowledge were torn between their loyalty to their country and their opposition to Hitler's misdeeds. He died 1st June 2003. |
| Artist Details : Robert Taylor |
| Click here for a full list of all artwork by Robert Taylor |
 Robert Taylor The name Robert Taylor has been synonymous with aviation art over a quarter of a century. His paintings of aircraft, more than those of any other artist, have helped popularise a genre which at the start of this remarkable artist's career had little recognition in the world of fine art. When he burst upon the scene in the mid-1970s his vibrant, expansive approach to the subject was a revelation. His paintings immediately caught the imagination of enthusiasts and collectors alike . He became an instant success. As a boy, Robert seemed always to have a pencil in his hand. Aware of his natural gift from an early age, he never considered a career beyond art, and with unwavering focus, set out to achieve his goal. Leaving school at fifteen, he has never worked outside the world of art. After two years at the Bath School of Art he landed a job as an apprentice picture framer with an art gallery in Bath, the city where Robert has lived and worked all his life. Already competent with water-colours the young apprentice took every opportunity to study the works of other artists and, after trying his hand at oils, quickly determined he could paint to the same standard as much of the art it was his job to frame. Soon the gallery was selling his paintings, and the owner, recognising Roberts talent, promoted him to the busy picture-restoring department. Here, he repaired and restored all manner of paintings and drawings, the expertise he developed becoming the foundation of his career as a professional artist. Picture restoration is an exacting skill, requiring the ability to emulate the techniques of other painters so as to render the damaged area of the work undetectable. After a decade of diligent application, Robert became one of the most capable picture restorers outside London. Today he attributes his versatility to the years he spent painstakingly working on the paintings of others artists. After fifteen years at the gallery, by chance he was introduced to Pat Barnard, whose military publishing business happened also to be located in the city of Bath. When offered the chance to become a full-time painter, Robert leapt at the opportunity. Within a few months of becoming a professional artist, he saw his first works in print. Roberts early career was devoted to maritime paintings, and he achieved early success with his prints of naval subjects, one of his admirers being Lord Louis Mountbatten. He exhibited successfully at the Royal Society of Marine Artists in London and soon his popularity attracted the attention of the media. Following a major feature on his work in a leading national daily newspaper he was invited to appear in a BBC Television programme. This led to a string of commissions for the Fleet Air Arm Museum who, understandably, wanted aircraft in their maritime paintings. It was the start of Roberts career as an aviation artist. Fascinated since childhood by the big, powerful machines that man has invented, switching from one type of hardware to another has never troubled him. Being an artist of the old school, Robert tackled the subject of painting aircraft with the same gusto as with his large, action-packed maritime pictures - big compositions supported by powerful and dramatic skies, painted on large canvases. It was a formula new to the aviation art genre, at the time not used to such sweeping canvases, but one that came naturally to an artist whose approach appeared to have origins in an earlier classical period. Roberts aviation paintings are instantly recognisable. He somehow manages to convey all the technical detail of aviation in a traditional and painterly style, reminiscent of the Old Masters. With uncanny ability, he is able to recreate scenes from the past with a carefully rehearsed realism that few other artists ever manage to achieve. This is partly due to his prodigious research but also his attention to detail: Not for him shiny new factory-fresh aircraft looking like museum specimens. His trade mark, flying machines that are battle-scarred, worse for wear, with dings down the fuselage, chips and dents along the leading edges of wings, oil stains trailing from engine cowlings, paintwork faded with dust and grime; his planes are real! Roberts aviation works have drawn crowds in the international arena since the early 1980s. He has exhibited throughout the US and Canada, Australia, Japan and in Europe. His one-man exhibition at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC was hailed as the most popular art exhibition ever held there. His paintings hang in many of the worlds great aviation museums, adorn boardrooms, offices and homes, and his limited edition prints are avidly collected all around the world. A family man with strong Christian values, Robert devotes most of what little spare time he has to his home life. Married to Mary for thirty five years, they have five children, all now grown up. Neither fame nor fortune has turned his head. He is the same easy-going, gentle character he was when setting out on his painting career all those years ago, but now with a confidence that comes with the knowledge that he has mastered his profession. More about Robert Taylor |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
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Mullenheim-Rechberg, Burkard von 
(signed in person)