Bristol Museum artworks lovingly recreated in Playmobil

The curator of pre-1900 fine art at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery has combined her love of paintings with her love of Playmobil to create unique homages to historic works of art.

Like many stories from this year, this one involves the coronavirus pandemic, with Dr Jenny Gaschke and her 11-year-old daughter, Ada, spending the two national lockdowns recreating the museum’s paintings and also one world famous sculpture.

Germany-born Jenny has enjoyed Playmobil all her life, with the enjoyment rekindled a few years ago – and combined with her professional life – when she purchased a figure of Martin Luther, the 16th-century figurehead of the German Reformation and the subject of a portrait in Bristol Museum’s collection by Lukas Cranach the Elder.

“But it was the coronavirus lockdown in the spring, which simultaneously turned me into a home-curator and a home-school-parent, that made me and my daughter return to the extensive collection of Playmobil figures and their STUFF in our house,” said Jenny, 47, who lives in Southville.

“My daughter and I wanted to do something fun together. We had dabbled in setting up small non-art-related tableaus with the eternally-smiling figures and their abundance of paraphernalia before.

“Playmo-Art works a little bit like the Getty Museum’s challenge for people to recreate their favourite pictures, but based on works in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Working for Bristol Culture, I obviously feel super loyal to the collection here, while my daughter would happily stray into the National Gallery and other places.”

E Burne-Jones’ Garden Court – credit: Bristol Museum

Jenny and Ada’s Playmobil version of the painting – photo: Jenny Gaschke

Banksy’s Paint Pot Angel – photo: Bristol Museum

Jenny and Ada’s Paint Pot Playmobil Angel – photo: Jenny Gaschke

Jenny and Ada have so far made 25 recreations of works from Bristol Museum’s. The majority are from the 1800s but the duo have also ventured both into older and more modern art.

“Seeing my daughter have fun with this and the fact that other people say the pictures make them smile means a lot to me. This year has not been an easy time for anyone,” said Jenny.

Our greatest reward has been that when we posted Edmund Blair Leighton’s Signing the Register someone sent us their wedding photo with the painting in the background in return.

“There is certainly an ‘art and wellbeing’ element to this. You could also call it addiction!”

The Donkey Ride by Eva Gonzales – credit: Bristol Museum

Jenny recently bought a Playmobil donkey in order to recreate this painting – photo: Jenny Gaschke

Jenny said that her photos “are also a different way to unlock the museum’s collection in a light-hearted manner that makes us not only smile but also understand things about the art itself, for example their composition and visual story telling”.

She added: “Making these little photographic comparisons allows me to shout about what treasures Bristol’s art collections hold and hopefully even draw people to the wonderful content the museum service has on its official website…

“But most of all I have to accept that I am basically a big child myself and love playing with little figures.”

Saint George and the Dragon, Series No 7: The Return by Edward Burne-Jones – credit: Bristol Museum

Playmobil dragon just out of shot – photo: Jenny Gaschke

Some choices have been stifled by the fact that Jenny and Ada do not have certain figures, lamenting the fact that they are more limited than those people around the world recreating artworks in Lego.

But Jenny’s colleagues are now on board to help. After commenting recently that a surprisingly large number of historic European paintings have donkeys in them and she did not have a Playmobil donkey, her colleague Linda found an affordable ass on eBay.

Withypool Triptych central panel, Virgin and Child with St Joseph and Donor by Antonio Solario – credit: Bristol Museum

Withypool Playmobil Triptych – photo: Jenny Gaschke

So what is the creative process for each tableau?

“Ha, easy,” Jenny said. “Turn over three boxes of small Playmobil things and figure, sift through the rubble, and appropriate what comes to hand. Take mobile phone picture and post it next to the original. Done.”

Do Jenny and Ada have to work out what models they have in your collection before choosing a painting to replicate?

“I think people do forgive a Playmobil builder standing in for a saint or hero, or a Roman emperor posing as King Arthur. Actually, that’s the fun of it!”

Jenny’s first Playmobil set in the 1970s was a builders’ van complete with tools and a crate of beer. “I am still looking for an opportunity to use them as they are,” she says – photo: Jenny Gaschke

Ada at home in Southville with some of her Playmobil collection. “She’s just turned 11, so I’m maybe beginning to think she might be a bit old for toys, but is humouring her mum,” says Jenny – photo: Jenny Gaschke

Main image: Bristol Museum / Jenny Gaschke

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