This audio document with selection of photographs summarizes key aspects of Georg Kolbe’s life, artistic development, and the significance of his work, drawing upon the provided sources. It explores his artistic style, engagement with contemporary movements, and the challenges of his reception, particularly in relation to the National Socialist era.
A Selection of Works
Timeline of Events
- 1873: Georg Kolbe’s brother, Rudolf, is born. He will become an architect and art industrialist in Dresden.
- April 15, 1877: Georg Kolbe is born in Waldheim, Saxony.
- 1897: Kolbe goes to Paris to study at the Académie Julian for one semester.
- 1898-1901: Kolbe lives in Rome, where he starts experimenting with sculpture under the guidance of Louis Tuaillon.
- 1900: Kolbe begins his first attempts at sculpture.
- 1901: Kolbe meets Benjamine van der Meer de Walcheren in Bayreuth.
- February 13, 1902: Kolbe marries Benjamine van der Meer de Walcheren in Uccle, near Brussels.
- November 19, 1902: Kolbe’s daughter, Leonore, is born in Leipzig.
- 1904: Kolbe moves to Berlin, where he will live for the rest of his life. He gives up painting.
- 1905: Kolbe becomes a member of the Berlin Secession. He is among the first recipients of the Villa Romana Prize, which includes a study stay in Florence. Paul Cassirer becomes his main art dealer.
- 1906: Georg Swarzenski is appointed director of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt.
- 1909: Kolbe participates in the Salon d’Automne in Paris and visits Auguste Rodin in Meudon.
- 1910: Kolbe declines a professorship at the Weimar School of Sculpture.
- 1910-1920s: Kolbe develops his own style in sculpture focusing on the human form.
- June 1910: The Committee for the Erection of a Heine Monument approaches the Mayor of Frankfurt to obtain permission to erect a monument.
- 1911: Kolbe is elected to the board of the Berlin Secession.
- 1911: Kolbe creates “Japanerin” (Japanese Woman).
- 1912: Kolbe’s famous sculpture, Die Tänzerin (The Dancer), is displayed in the Berlin Secession and later acquired by the Berlin National Gallery.
- October 30, 1912: Georg Swarzenski writes to the “sculptors Klitsch, Kolbe, Hub”.
- 1913: Kolbe travels to Egypt, which is significant for his stylistic development.
- 1913: The “Heine Monument” is unveiled in the Friedberger Anlage in Frankfurt am Main, completed by Kolbe. Kolbe creates a portrait bust of Henry van de Velde.
- August 1913: Kolbe signs a contract with Georg Swarzenski for the Heine Monument.
- December 1913: The Heine Monument is unveiled.
- 1914-1918: Kolbe is a volunteer driver during World War I, then receives pilot training but is not deployed. Kolbe creates Bellona during this period.
- 1915: Kolbe creates a portrait of Margarete von Kühlmann Freifrau von Stumm-Ramholz.
- 1916: Kolbe creates a portrait of Harry Graf Kessler.
- May 1917: Kolbe is called to Istanbul by his friend Richard von Kühlmann, who is an ambassador there. He builds a war memorial at the cemetery in Tarabya and portraits diplomats and politicians including Talât Pascha.
- 1918: Kolbe receives the title of Professor from the Prussian Ministry of Culture. He creates a war memorial for a cemetery in Turkey, near Istanbul.
- 1918-20: Kolbe creates his first master drawings using pen, brush and blue ink.
- Early 1919: Kolbe returns to Berlin.
- 1919: Kolbe is appointed a member of the Prussian Academy of the Arts. He also joins the revolutionary Workers’ Council for Art and is the president of the Free Secession Berlin (1919-1921). Frauenraub is acquired by the Städtische Galerie im Städel. Kolbe’s style is influenced by Expressionism. Kolbe creates the sculpture Adam.
- 1920: Kolbe suggests that a sculptor should not necessarily make drawings.
- Early 1920s: Kolbe completes a series of sepia studies of female nudes, including the drawing, “Kneeling Nude”. Kolbe creates the sculpture Assunta.
- 1921: Kolbe’s new style is presented in a large exhibition at the Galerie Cassirer.
- 1921: Kolbe creates the bronze sculpture, Lamentation.
- 1922: Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner publishes a monograph on Kolbe.
- 1923-1924: Kolbe creates the sculpture Verkündung.
- 1924: Kolbe produces the sculpture “Study for the Figure of a Kneeling Woman” and a monument for fallen book dealers in Leipzig.
- 1925: Kolbe creates the sculpture “Study of a Figure in Motion: Kneeling Woman Supported by her Right Arm”. He completes Der Morgen and Der Abend for the Ceciliengärten in Berlin. He also does portrait busts of Friedrich Ebert, Ferruccio Busoni, and Gret Palucca.
- 1925-1932: Kolbe focuses on creating more natural proportions in his figures. His works are shown in numerous exhibitions and he receives many portrait commissions.
- 1926: Kolbe produces Kriegerdenkmal 1914-1918 in Buchschlag near Frankfurt, as well as a portrait bust of Max Slevogt.
- 1926-1930: Kolbe completes Große Nacht.
- 1926-1947: Kolbe works on the Beethoven Monument in Frankfurt.
- 1926/1927: Kolbe’s “Large Draft Design II” for the Beethoven Monument is created.
- 1927: Kolbe is awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Marburg.
- February 7, 1927: Kolbe’s wife, Benjamine, dies by suicide.
- 1927: Kolbe creates the statue Der Einsame. Kolbe creates two sculptures Badende Frauen at the entrance to the Hamburger Stadtpark.
- 1927: The Goethe Prize is established in Frankfurt.
- 1927: Rudolf G. Binding agrees to write a text on Kolbe’s “Beethoven Monument”.
- 1928: The Kunstsalon Cassirer presents Kolbe’s drafts for the Beethoven Monument.
- 1928-1929: Kolbe builds his studio house in Sensburger Allee in Berlin-Westend in cooperation with Ernst Rentsch. He then has a second building built for his daughter, Leonore.
- 1928: Kolbe creates the sculpture Pietà.
- 1928: Georg Swarzenski is appointed the general director of the Frankfurt museums.
- 1928-1930: Kolbe works on the Rathenau-Brunnen fountain.
- 1929: Kolbe’s sculpture Der Morgen is displayed in the German Pavilion at the World Exhibition in Barcelona. Kolbe produces a portrait bust of Max Liebermann. Kolbe’s granddaughter, Maria von Tiesenhausen, is born.
- 1929: The adjacent house to Kolbe’s studio is constructed for his daughter, Leonore.
- 1930: Kolbe produces the sculpture Ruf der Erde.
- 1931: Kolbe participates in the exhibition of the Prague Secession.
- 1931-1933: Kolbe creates Aufsteigender Jüngling for Düsseldorf, intended as a Heine monument.
- 1933: Rudolf G. Binding’s Vom Leben der Plastik is published.
- 1933: Georg Swarzenski faces an “ostracism” campaign. The “Kommission zur Durchführung der Untersuchungsangelegenheit Dr. Swarzensky” is formed.
- 1933, 1935: Kolbe creates Zehnkampfmann and Ruhender Athlet for the Berlin Olympic grounds.
- 1934: Kolbe accepts the commission for a war memorial for Stralsund, after Ernst Barlach’s design was rejected as “cultural Bolshevist.” Kolbe also signs a public statement supporting the unification of the offices of President and Chancellor under Adolf Hitler. His Schwerthalter (sword holder) is installed in Stralsund.
- August 1934: Kolbe and other artists sign the “Call of Cultural Workers” to support Adolf Hitler.
- 1935: Kolbe produces the sculpture Junger Streiter.
- 1935: Binding publishes the 8th edition of Vom Leben der Plastik which has been altered.
- 1936: Kolbe receives the Goethe Prize from the city of Frankfurt, becoming the first sculptor to receive the award. He uses the Prometheus motif in his acceptance speech. He states that the “new Germany” expects great things of German sculptors. His statue, Stehendes Mädchen, is acquired in connection with the Goethe Prize.
- 1936: The German Artist Association is banned.
- August 7, 1936: Georg Swarzenski writes to Kolbe about not being invited to the Goethe Prize award ceremony.
- 1936: Kolbe creates the Großer Wächter.
- 1936/1937: Kolbe produces the Menschenpaar.
- 1937: Wilhelm Pinder publishes Georg Kolbe. Werke der letzten Jahre.
- 1937: Kolbe’s sculpture, Genius der Verkündigung is prominently displayed at the German House at the World Exhibition in Paris. Kolbe receives the Goethe Plaque of the city of Frankfurt am Main.
- 1937-1944: Kolbe regularly participates in the Great German Art Exhibition in Munich, which is promoted as an important show of “German art”.
- 1937: Kolbe creates Amazone and Stehendes Mädchen.
- 1938: Kolbe creates Junges Weib and Die Hüterin. Georg Swarzenski goes into exile in the United States.
- 1938: Kolbe begins work on his Beethoven Monument for Frankfurt.
- September 15, 1938: Kolbe writes to Swarzenski, who has already left Frankfurt.
- 1939: Kolbe creates a portrait bust of General Franco on behalf of the Hisma, a German-Spanish organization.
- 1939: The Reich Culture Minister, Bernhard Rust, purchases Kolbe’s Die Hüterin. Hitler buys Kolbe’s sculpture, Junges Weib. John Heartfield produces a collage, Brauner Künstlertraum, responding to Kolbe’s creation of the Franco bust and a Beethoven memorial.
- 1940: The Reich Economics Minister Walther Funk purchases Herabschreitender. Hitler disapproves of Kolbe’s “Zarathustras Erhebung.”
- May 1940: Pinder writes to the mayor of Frankfurt trying to promote the Beethoven Monument.
- 1940-1942: Kolbe creates the sculpture Großer Stürzender.
- 1941: An exhibition of Kolbe’s art is held in Berlin.
- 1942: Kolbe receives the Goethe Medal for Art and Science from Adolf Hitler.
- 1943: Kolbe’s studio house is damaged by a bomb, which is repaired by the Americans.
- 1944: Kolbe is included in the “special list” of the “divinely gifted” artists of the Nazi regime.
- 1945: Kolbe creates Der Befreite.
- 1946: Kolbe’s work is displayed at the first General German Art Exhibition in Dresden.
- 1947: Kolbe completes the sculpture Ring der Statuen.
- August 17, 1947: Alfred Wolters writes to Kolbe.
- November 20, 1947: Georg Kolbe dies in Berlin. His will dictates that his studio should become open to the public.
- 1948: Kolbe’s “Beethoven Monument” is finally completed.
- 1949: “Georg Kolbe – Auf Wegen der Kunst” is published.
- 1951: The “Beethoven Monument” is ceremonially unveiled in Frankfurt’s Taunusanlage. Alfred Wolters’ essay on Victor Müller is published in a memorial volume for Georg Swarzenski.
- 1954: The “Ring der Statuen” is installed in Rothschild Park in Frankfurt.
- 1996: The Georg Kolbe Museum is expanded with an additional wing.
- 2019/2020: The house next to the Kolbe museum, formerly the home of Kolbe’s daughter, is renovated and restored.
- 2020: The archives of the Georg Kolbe Museum are substantially expanded through the inheritance of papers from his granddaughter, Maria von Tiesenhausen.
- 2022: A conference on Georg Kolbe and National Socialism is held at the Georg Kolbe Museum.
Cast of Characters
- Georg Kolbe: (1877-1947) A German sculptor and medalist. Known for his figurative sculptures, particularly nudes, and his versatility in drawing. He worked in multiple political systems and was successful in the art market, which is often interpreted as politically ambiguous. He was included on Hitler’s “special list” of important artists.
- Benjamine van der Meer de Walcheren: (d. 1927) Kolbe’s wife, who he married in 1902. Her death by suicide greatly affected Kolbe and was a catalyst for him to move to his new studio in Berlin-Westend.
- Leonore Kolbe: (1902-1981) Georg and Benjamine’s daughter. She lived with her husband in the house adjacent to Kolbe’s studio.
- Maria von Tiesenhausen: (1929-2019) Kolbe’s granddaughter. Her inheritance of Kolbe’s papers substantially expanded the archives of the Georg Kolbe Museum.
- Rudolf Kolbe: (1873-?) Georg’s older brother, an architect and art industrialist in Dresden.
- Louis Tuaillon: Sculptor under whom Kolbe started his sculptural work in Rome.
- Paul Cassirer: Kolbe’s main art dealer in Berlin.
- Auguste Rodin: French sculptor whom Kolbe visited in 1909.
- Richard von Kühlmann: German ambassador in Istanbul who helped Kolbe during World War I.
- Talât Pascha: Young Turkish politician who was portrayed by Kolbe in Istanbul.
- Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner: Art historian who published a monograph on Kolbe in 1922.
- Max Liebermann: Artist and fellow member of the Free Secession Berlin.
- Ernst Barlach: Artist who was initially selected to make a war memorial for Stralsund, but whose designs were rejected.
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: Architect whose Barcelona Pavilion prominently displayed Kolbe’s sculpture, Der Morgen.
- Georg Swarzenski: (1876-1957) Director of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt, who commissioned the Heine Monument from Kolbe and was involved in the art scene. He was a friend of Kolbe but was eventually forced into exile due to his Jewish heritage. He is connected to the Cooper List of German Art Personnel.
- Hanns Swarzenski: Georg’s son who worked with Erwin Panofsky at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ. He assisted his father in his transition to the USA.
- Fritz Klimsch: Sculptor who was invited to participate in the competition for the Heine Monument.
- Emil Hub: Frankfurt-based sculptor who participated in the Heine Monument competition.
- Rudolf G. Binding: Author who wrote about the “Beethoven Monument,” and continued to publish on Kolbe during the Nazi era, aligning with the nationalistic interpretations of the work.
- Adolf Hitler: Leader of the Nazi regime. Purchased Kolbe’s work and placed him on his “special list”.
- Bernhard Rust: Head of the Reich Ministry of Science, Education and Culture. Purchased Kolbe’s sculpture Die Hüterin.
- Walther Funk: Reich Economics Minister who purchased Kolbe’s Herabschreitender.
- John Heartfield: Artist who produced a collage responding to Kolbe’s creation of a Franco bust and Beethoven memorial.
- Wilhelm Pinder: Art historian who interpreted Kolbe’s works from a nationalist and Nazi perspective. He attempted to convince Friedrich Krebs about the value of the Beethoven monument as propaganda. He has been called the “art pope of National Socialism”.
- Alfred Wolters: Art historian who wrote an essay about Victor Müller, published for Swarzenski’s 75th birthday. He was previously involved in an “ostracism” campaign against Swarzenski.
- Walter Kolb: New mayor who spoke at the unveiling of the Beethoven Monument in 1951.
- Ernst Rentsch: Swiss architect who collaborated with Kolbe on his studio in Berlin-Westend.
- AGP (Heidenreich, Meier, Polensky, Zeumer): Architectural firm that created the extension for the Georg Kolbe Museum in 1996.
- Paul Linder: Bauhaus architect who designed Kolbe’s ton studio.
- Winfried Brenne: The architectural firm that restored the Kolbe museum.
- Henry van de Velde: Belgian architect and designer portrayed by Kolbe.
- Harry Graf Kessler: German writer and diplomat, portrayed by Kolbe.
- Friedrich Ebert: President of the Weimar Republic, portrayed by Kolbe.
- Edith von Schrenck: Socialite portrayed by Kolbe.
- Ferruccio Busoni: Italian composer, portrayed by Kolbe.
- Gret Palucca: German dancer, portrayed by Kolbe.
- Max Slevogt: German painter, portrayed by Kolbe.
- Hans Prinzhorn: German psychiatrist and art historian, portrayed by Kolbe.
- Max Liebermann: German painter and printmaker, portrayed by Kolbe.
- Viola Tegtmeyer: Subject of a bronze bust by Kolbe.