The Wiedmann Bible

The Wiedmann Bible is a unique visual narrative of the Old and New Testament as well as the longest illustrated Bible. The German artist Willy Wiedmann (1929-2013) worked for 16 years on the hand-painted illustrations of exceptional format and sensational extent. He created the almost one-mile long leporello (accordion-style book) in his Polycon Painting style, which he had invented during the 1960s. The artist’s first publishing attempt failed due to the lack of available technology. His son, Martin, took on the task to complete his father’s mission: to share the artwork with the world. Today, it is known as the Wiedmann Bible and is the longest illustrated Bible ever created. Since the original is the only existing copy, an App was created to make the Wiedmann Bible accessible for everyone. It is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. In cooperation with the German Bible Society, a limited and exclusive ART-Edition was published in March 2018. It contains all images, the artist's comments on his work as well as selected verses from the revised Luther 2017 Bible (in German). In 2018 the Wiedmann Bible had made its first visit to the U.S. and can be seen at the Wiedmann Bible exhibition at Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. until April 28th, 2019.