Ernst Barlach:
Sculpture "Russian Beggar Woman II" (1932), reduction in bronze
Ernst Barlach:
Sculpture "Russian Beggar Woman II" (1932), reduction in bronze

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ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 980 copies | numbered | signature | foundry hallmark | certificate | bronze | patinated | reduction | size 14.5 x 26 x 11.5 cm (h/w/d) | weight 3.4 kg

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Sculpture "Russian Beggar Woman II" (1932), reduction in bronze
Ernst Barlach: Sculpture "Russian Beggar Woman II" (1932)...

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Sculpture "Russian Beggar Woman II" (1932), reduction in bronze

Bronze after a cast from 1932, which was shown publicly for the first time at the exhibition "Lebendige deutsche Kunst" (eng.: Living German Art) in Berlin in 1933.

The trip to Russia in 1906 had released new, form-conscious energies in Barlach that strongly influenced his further sculptural work. With the Russian beggar sculptures, he thus set the foundation for his further sculptural work.

The "Russian Beggar Woman II" is a highly expressive, meditative figure. The form is captured by the broadly curved outline of the back, which opens up solely through the hand stretched out in front. In this way, the head bowed in humility or shame is joined to the hand stretched out in supplication, and becomes the bearer of expression of a process that is both spiritual and physical. This hand does not formulate a demand but rather a need and request for material and spiritual nourishment. Barlach describes the meaning of his beggar figures as "symbols for the human situation in its nakedness between heaven and earth".

Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the Lost-Wax-Process and patinated. Directly moulded from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered and with the signature "E. Barlach" taken from the original as well as the foundry hallmark. ars mundi Exclusive Edition. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 14.5 x 26 x 11.5 cm (h/w/d). Weight 3.4 kg.

Portrait of the artist Ernst Barlach

About Ernst Barlach

1870-1938, sculptor, writer and draughtsman

Ernst Barlach was born on January 2, 1870, in Wedel, Germany, and died on October 24, 1938, in Rostock, Germany. He holds an outstandingly special position within German Expressionism. As a graphic artist, draughtsman, writer and, in particular, a sculptor, Barlach created milestones in art history. Barlach's sculptural works of art have a special effect because they seek extreme experience of limits and their representation. They are works of multi-layered meaning with which he foregrounded the essence of the human being and that what stands above the self and the world.

Barlach's intention is rooted in the depths, the inner self. Shaped by war and challenging living conditions, he experiences both suffering and happiness. The human being is always the focus of his work: Ecce homo.

"I desire nothing more than to be a good and true artist as best I can. I believe that what cannot be expressed through the work can pass into the possession of another through forms. My pleasure and creative impulse continually revolve around the problems of the meaning of life and the other great mountains in the spiritual realm." (Ernst Barlach)

Ernst Barlach became an honorary member of the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, in 1925. In 1933, he was appointed Knight of the Peace Class of the Order "Pour le mérite". In 1937, the National Socialists removed his works from public collections and spaces for being "degenerate art". Ernst Barlach died in Rostock on October 24, 1938.

Today, Ernst Barlach's works are an integral part of leading museums and collections and - if available - fetch record amounts at auction.

"The Singing Man" became Ernst Barlach's best-known sculpture, an icon of Modernism. It adorns illustrated books and posters worldwide, and the original edition is a permanent part of the collections of the world's major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

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