SAVE THE DATE | press conference “Ernst Barlach on the 150th Anniversary of his Birth. A Retrospective.”

[Translate to English:] Ernst Barlach

[Translate to English:] text

Ernst Barlach, for whom art was “a matter of the deepest humanity”, is without a doubt one of the most popular artists of twentieth-century Germany. It is mainly his wooden sculptures which earned him his reputation as a sculptor. Works such as Freezing Girl (1917), The Avenger (1922) or The Ascetic (1925) raise questions about human existence and form the centrepiece of the exhibition.

The sculptor was talented in various media; alongside Barlach’s sculptures, the exhibition also focuses on his drawings. A spotlight is also shone on his prints and sketchbooks, as well as his works of literature.

Around 230 works and groups of works illustrate the important stages in his life, including his student days in Dresden, the time he spent in Paris and his journey to Russia – the latter being the major turning point in his development as an artist. The exhibition also looks into how Barlach was spurned as a “degenerate artist” under the Nazi regime, and his reception and posthumous appreciation in East and West Germany after 1945.

The anniversary exhibition in Dresden can be visited in the Salzgassenflügel of the Albertinum from 8 August 2020 to 10 January 2021, and is a joint project with Ernst Barlach Haus – Stiftung Hermann F. Reemtsma, Hamburg. It is also being organised in cooperation with the Ernst Barlach Stiftung in Güstrow, which has provided the Albertinum with 25 sketchbooks, and numerous drawings and sculptures. The 150th anniversary of the artist’s birth will be marked by an exchange of works between Hamburg and Dresden: in addition to some 100 sculptures and drawings, 24 out of the 29 wooden sculptures from Ernst Barlach Haus are presented in this retrospective – the first time in decades that so many have been brought together in a single exhibition. The display is thus primarily based on loans from the Hamburg museum. In return, the Albertinum is providing Ernst Barlach Haus with 60 works from its collection of art from the GDR for the presentation “KOSMOS OST. Art in the GDR 1949–89. Works from the Dresden Albertinum”. This exhibition can be seen in Hamburg until 13 September.

[Translate to English:] Programm

Programme (selection):

Friday, 28 August 2020, 7 p.m.
Reading from Ernst Barlach’s works of prose with Torsten Ranft and Viktor Tremmel – in cooperation with Dresden’s Staatsschauspiel playhouse.

Thursday, 5 November 2020, 7 p.m.
“Bin und bleibe, der ich war, Ernst Barlach.”
Reading from Ernst Barlach’s letters with Charly Hübner, Ingo Schulze, Holger Helbig

Sunday, 8 November 2020, 5 p.m.
Lecture by Prof. Dr. Jens Brachmann (Rostock): „…ihn für seine zukünftige Stellung innerhalb einer förmlich barbarischharten Zeit vorzubereiten“.
Nikolaus Barlach as a student at Paul Geheeb’s Odenwald school

Saturday, 9 January 2021, 6.30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.
Vocal Concert Dresden – a promenade concert enjoyed while walking through the exhibition
Hugo Distler (1908–1942): “Totentanz”, Op. 12 based on texts by Angelus Silesius and the Lübeck “Danse Macabre” (conductor: Peter Kopp)