Ernst Barlach:
Sculpture "The Book Reader" (1936), reduction in bronze, height 41 cm
Ernst Barlach:
Sculpture "The Book Reader" (1936), reduction in bronze, height 41 cm

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ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 150 copies | numbered | signature | hallmarked | certificate | bronze | chased | polished | patinated | reduction | size approx. 41 x 19 x 29 cm (h/w/d) | weight approx. 14.4 kg

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Sculpture "The Book Reader" (1936), reduction in bronze, height 41 cm
Ernst Barlach: Sculpture "The Book Reader" (1936), reduct...

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Sculpture "The Book Reader" (1936), reduction in bronze, height 41 cm

Ernst Barlach's Book Reader - a Milestone of Modernism

The motif of the reader is a essential motif in Barlach's work, which he already addressed in the lithograph from 1916, "To whom time is like eternity and eternity is like time, he is freed from all suffering" and in charcoal drawing from 1922. In the spring of 1936, he gave the motif a special density with the sculpture "The Book Reader".

"The Book Reader" is completely absorbed in his reading, radiating concentration and meditative harmony. He lives in his world: "His back, resembling a spherical shell, protects him like a shield from anything distracting, guards the intimacy and solitude of the reader - the prerequisites of all intellectual endeavour".
Bertolt Brecht described Ernst Barlach's masterly depiction of the reading man with enthusiasm: "A seated man, bent over, holding a book in heavy hands. He reads curiously, confidently, and critically. He is looking for solutions to urgent problems in the book [...] I like "The Book Reader" better than Rodin's famous "Thinker", which only shows the difficulty of thinking. Barlach's sculpture is more realistic, more concrete..."

"The Book Reader" is one of Ernst Barlach's best-known and most important works. Original castings in bronze can be found in the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Staatliches Museum Schwerin and the Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf, among others.

The 150th birthday of the artist in 2020 was a special occasion for us to publish an anniversary edition of the "Book Reader" in this impressive size, in an exclusive limited edition of 150 copies.

Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the Lost-Wax-Process, chiselled by hand, polished and patinated. Taken directly from the original and reduced in size. Limited edition of 150 copies, numbered and with the signature "E. Barlach" taken from the original as well as the foundry and ars mundi hallmark. With numbered a certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size approx. 41 x 19 x 29 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 14.4 kg. ars mundi Exclusive Edition.

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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