Ernst Barlach

Hanna Bekker vom Rath, Hofheim am Taunus (at least since 1950)
By descent from the above to the present owner

 

Friedrich Schult, Ernst Barlach, Das plastische Werk, Hamburg, 1959, no. 167, illustration of another cast p. 109
Elisabeth Laur, Ernst Barlach, Das plastische Werk, Güstrow, 2006, no. 229, illustration of another cast p. 141
Die Ausstellungsreisen der Hanna Bekker vom Rath (exhibition catalogue), Stadtmuseum, Hofheim am Taunus, 2008-09, mentioned p. 64

Rich and varied brown patina. This work is in good condition.
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Der Rächer is one of the most iconic and striking works of Ernst Barlach's sculptural oeuvre. Executed with the utmost sensibility of form, the artist brilliantly renders the figure's dynamic attitude. The energetic spirit with which Barlach infuses the fighter captures the fleeting moment before he delivers his strike. The angular contours and linearity of the drapery, with the sword silhouetted prominently above, add to the composition's heightened sense of drama.

The present work was acquired by the remarkable German painter, world-traveller, art collector and dealer, Hanna Bekker vom Rath (1893-1983), who was a fervent supporter of modern art. As a passionate connoisseur, she facilitated secret exhibitions for persecuted artists during the Second World War and subsequently founded the Frankfurter Kunstkabinett in May 1947, the first gallery established in Frankfurt am Main after the end of the war. Her exhibiton programme included artists such as Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, August Macke and Oskar Kokoschka. Due to her dedication as an advocate for German art abroad, people often described vom Rath as an 'ambassador of the arts'. The present cast was in her personal collection from at least the 1950s, when it was displayed in her red living room in Hofheim am Taunus.

As no sculptures were cast during the Second World War, the present work was most probably produced immediately after the artist's death. Other casts from this edition are housed in the Folkwang-Museum, Essen; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Ernst Barlach Haus, Hamburg; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. and other major international museums.