
Ernst Barlach (German, 1870–1938). Der Rächer (The Avenger), 1914 (cast executed after World War II). Bronze, 17 x 22 7/8 x 8 3/4 inches (43.2 x 58.1 x 22.2 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Charles Clifton Fund, 1961 (1961:2).
Public Domain
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Public Domain
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Public Domain
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Public Domain
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.




Ernst Barlach
German, 1870-1938
Der Rächer (The Avenger), 1914 (cast executed after World War II)
bronze
overall: 17 x 22 7/8 x 8 3/4 inches (43.18 x 58.1 x 22.22 cm)
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Charles Clifton Fund, 1961
1961:2
More Details
Inscriptions
Provenance
family of the artist;M. Knoedler & Co., New York;
sold to the Albright Art Gallery, March 9, 1961
Class
Work Type
This information may change due to ongoing research. Glossary of Terms
Ernst Barlach was aligned with the Expressionists, a group of artists working in Germany at the turn of the twentieth century who sought to convey emotional experiences in their work. The Avenger represents Barlach’s response to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The force of the subject’s forward movement is emphasized through the sculpture’s horizontal orientation, its slanted base, and the way the figure’s cloak blows back in diagonal folds. He carries a weapon and raises it to strike with a gesture that is simultaneously heroic and tragic. However, his facial expression is ambiguous. This work represents not only the physical experience of war but also the psychological effects.
Label from Picasso: The Artist and His Models, November 5, 2016–February 19, 2017
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publication
Albright-Knox Art Gallery: Painting and Sculpture from Antiquity to 1942
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