Gerhard Marcks (18 February 1889 – 13 November 1981) was a German artist, known primarily as a sculptor, but who is also known for his drawings, woodcuts, lithographs and ceramics.
Early life
Marcks was born in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, where, at the age of 18, he worked as an apprentice to sculptor
Richard Scheibe
Richard Scheibe (19 April 1879, Chemnitz – 6 October 1964, Berlin) was a German artist primarily remembered as a sculptor. He trained as a painter, and taught himself to sculpt beginning in 1906. From 1925-1933 he taught at the Städelsches K ...
. In 1914, he married Maria Schmidtlein, with whom he would raise six children. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he served in the German army, which resulted in long term health problems.
With architect
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in conne ...
, German-American painter
Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Charles Feininger (July 17, 1871January 13, 1956) was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist. He was born and grew up in New York City, traveling to Germa ...
, Scheibe and others, Marcks was a member of two art-related political groups, the
Novembergruppe
The November Group (german: Novembergruppe) was a group of German expressionist artists and architects. Formed on 3 December 1918, they took their name from the month of the German Revolution.
The group was led by Max Pechstein and César Klein ...
(November Group) and the
Arbeitsrat für Kunst The Arbeitsrat für Kunst (German language, German: 'Workers council for art' or 'Art Soviet') was a union of architects, painters, sculptors and art writers, who were based in Berlin from 1918 to 1921. It developed as a response to the Workers and ...
(Workers Council for Art). He was also affiliated with the
Deutscher Werkbund
The Deutscher Werkbund (English: "German Association of Craftsmen"; ) is a German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists established in 1907. The Werkbund became an important element in the development of modern arch ...
, of which Gropius was a founding member.
Bauhaus master
In 1919, when Gropius founded the
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
, in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
, Marcks was one of the first three faculty members to be hired, along with Feininger and
Johannes Itten
Johannes Itten (11 November 1888 – 25 March 1967) was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus (''Staatliches Bauhaus'') school. Together with German-American painter Lyonel Feininger ...
. Specifically, Marcks was appointed the ''Formmeister'' (Form Master) of the school's Pottery Workshop, which was located not in Weimar but in an annex to the school in nearby
Dornburg
Dornburg is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It sits atop a small hill of 400 ft above the Saale. Since 1 December 2008, it is part of the town Dornburg-Camburg.
History
Within the German Empire (1871–1918), ...
. The other teacher in that workshop, its ''Lehrmeister'' (Crafts Master) was Master Potter
Max Krehan, the last of a long line of potters, whose workshop was in Dornburg. Krehan taught the students to throw pots on the wheel, to trim and glaze them, and to fire the kiln. Marcks, in addition to duties in Weimar, taught the history of the practice, encouraged experimentation, and sometimes decorated pots.
Earlier, Marcks had made the models for a series of animal sculptures, which were reproduced in China by a porcelain factory. His interest in animal forms is reflected in the work he made for his first Bauhaus portfolio (''Neue Europaeische Graphik I''), such as ''Die Katzen'' ("The Cats") and ''Die Eule'' ("The Owl"), both woodcuts. In time, his focus shifted to the human figure, and it was this subject that continued to hold his attention for the rest of his life.
Further career
In September 1925, the Bauhaus was relocated to
Dessau
Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...
, and its pottery workshop was discontinued. Marcks moved instead to the
Kunstgewerbeschule
A Kunstgewerbeschule (English: ''School of Arts and Crafts'' or S''chool of Applied Arts'') was a type of vocational arts school that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. The term Werkkunstschule was also used for thes ...
(School of Applied Arts) in
Burg Giebichenstein
Giebichenstein Castle (german: Burg Giebichenstein) is a castle in Halle (Saale) in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is part of the Romanesque Road (''Strasse der Romanik'').
Being a Burgward in the 9th century, the castle became a royal residence o ...
near
Halle. After the death of its director,
Paul Thiersch, Marcks was named his replacement, a position he continued in until his dismissal in 1933. He was fired because his work was deemed unsuitable by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
, with the result that several works were in the infamous exhibition of "
degenerate art
Degenerate art (german: Entartete Kunst was a term adopted in the 1920s by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe modern art. During the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, German modernist art, including many works of internationally renowned artists, ...
" in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
in 1937, along with that of other Bauhaus artists, among them
Herbert Bayer
Herbert Bayer (April 5, 1900 – September 30, 1985) was an Austrian and American graphic designer, painter, photographer, sculptor, art director, environmental and interior designer, and architect. He was instrumental in the development of the ...
,
Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Charles Feininger (July 17, 1871January 13, 1956) was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist. He was born and grew up in New York City, traveling to Germa ...
,
Johannes Itten
Johannes Itten (11 November 1888 – 25 March 1967) was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus (''Staatliches Bauhaus'') school. Together with German-American painter Lyonel Feininger ...
,
Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...
,
Paul Klee
Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...
,
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy (; ; born László Weisz; July 20, 1895 – November 24, 1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the i ...
,
Oskar Schlemmer
Oskar Schlemmer (4 September 1888 – 13 April 1943) was a German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer associated with the Bauhaus school.
In 1923, he was hired as Master of Form at the Bauhaus theatre workshop, after working at the wo ...
and
Lothar Schreyer
Lothar Schreyer (1886 in Blasewitz – 1966 in Hamburg) was a German artist, writer, editor, stage designer and gallery owner. He was the first Master of the stagecraft workshop at the Bauhaus art school.[Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...]
) throughout World War II. In 1937, when twenty-four of his works were confiscated and destroyed by the Nazis, he was prohibited from exhibiting and threatened with being forbidden to work. During this period, he made several trips to Italy, where he worked in the
Villa Romana in Florence and the
Villa Massimo
Villa Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo ( it, Accademia Tedesca Roma Villa Massimo), is a German cultural institution in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo.
The fellowship of the German Academy in Rom ...
in Rome. In 1943, his studio in Berlin was bombed during an air raid, and many of his works destroyed.
After World War II, Marcks became Professor of Sculpture at the
Landeskunstschule (Regional Art School) in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
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, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, where he taught for four years, before retiring to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
. He also designed memorials for soldiers and civilians who had died in the war, and his work was part of the art competitions at three Olympic Games.
Death and legacy
Marcks died in 1981 in Burgbrohl, Eifel. A decade earlier, the museum called
Gerhard Marcks Haus, which houses a permanent exhibition of his artwork, was established in his honor in
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, Germany. In this museum are 12,000 of his sketches and preparatory drawings, 900 prints, and all his sculptures (about 350). In the U.S., there is a collection of Marcks' work (68 drawings, 65 prints and 9 nine bronze sculptures) at
Luther College in
Decorah, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...
, most of which were given to that school by his former student and close associate,
Marguerite Wildenhain
Marguerite Wildenhain, née Marguerite Friedlaender and alternative spelling ''Friedländer'' (October 11, 1896 – February 24, 1985), was an American Bauhaus-trained ceramic artist, educator and author. After immigrating to the United States in ...
. Of particular note is a monumental Marcks bronze statue titled ''Oedipus and Antigone'' (1960), which was installed there in 2000.
Honors and exhibitions
*In 1914 Marcks participated in exhibitions of the
Berlin Secession
The Berlin Secession was an art movement established in Germany on May 2, 1898. Formed in reaction to the Association of Berlin Artists, and the restrictions on contemporary art imposed by Kaiser Wilhelm II, 65 artists "seceded," demonstrating ag ...
and the
Deutscher Werkbund
The Deutscher Werkbund (English: "German Association of Craftsmen"; ) is a German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists established in 1907. The Werkbund became an important element in the development of modern arch ...
,
after World War II at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
and the
Documenta
''documenta'' is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany.
The ''documenta'' was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultura ...
s I (1955), II (1959) and III (1964) in Kassel.
*In 1949 the city of Frankfurt am Main awarded him the
Goethe Plaque.
*In 1952 he was appointed a Knight of the Peace Class of the
Order Pour le Mérite.
*In 1954 North Rhine-Westphalia awarded him its Grand Art Prize.
*In 1955 the city of Berlin awarded him
its Art Prize.
*In 1962 the
Academy of Fine Arts, Nuremberg
The Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste Nürnberg) was founded in 1662 by Jacob von Sandrart and is the oldest art academy in German-speaking Central Europe.
The art academy is situated in Nuremberg.
Classes ...
, made him an honorary member
*In 1979 he was honored on his 90th birthday by exhibitions in Berlin, Bremen, Cologne and Nuremberg, as well as by the award of the
Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
.
*In 1980 the
American Academy of Letters, New York, made him an honorary member, together with
Max Ernst
Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism ...
and
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...
.
*In 1991
10778 Marcks (1991 gn10), a minor planet (asteroid) was discovered on 9 April, and named in his honor.
Gallery
File:Bremen.band.500pix.jpg, A bronze statue depicting the Bremen Town Musicians located in Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
File:Hh-friedhof-ohlsdorf-bombenopfer.jpg, Hamburg, Ohlsdorf Cemetery
Ohlsdorf Cemetery (german: Ohlsdorfer Friedhof or (former) ) in the Ohlsdorf quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany, is the biggest rural cemetery in the world and the fourth-largest cemetery in the world. Most of the people buried at the cemete ...
, memorial for the victims of the aerial warfare
File:Skulptur Die Trauernde Koeln2007.jpg, ''Die Trauernde'' / ''The Mourner'' in front of the St. Maria im Kapitol church in Cologne.
File:Rheinpark-Köln-f-Gaea-100.JPG, ''Gaea'' (1965), in the Rosegarden, Rheinpark
The Rheinpark (meaning: ''Rhine park'') is a 40 hectare (0,4 km²) large urban park along the right bank of the river Rhine in Cologne, Germany. The park lies between the Cologne districts of Deutz and Mülheim and includes a beach club, a ...
, Cologne
File:Justus-liebig-universitaet gerhard marcks Wiehernder Hengst philosophikum1 20070805.jpg, ''Der wiehernde Hengst'' / ''The Whinnying Stallion'', second casting, 1974, on the Philosophikum campus of the Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von ...
(the first casting, 1961, is in front of the Stadttheater in Aachen)
File:Trauernde Alte Marcks Bochum 2008.jpg, "The mourner old Woman" (1955), Bochum
Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
File:Gerhard Marcks Mahnmal Alter Friedhof.jpg, 1968
File:Gaea II - Gerhard Marcks.jpg, 1965 Stollwerkpassage, Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
File:Mannheim Kunsthalle Skulpturengarten Gerhard Marcks Zwei Freunde 2.jpg, Zwei Freunde (Konradin und Friedrich), Bronze, 1936
File:Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Bourdon - Die Mutter.jpg, sculpture at the Bourdon German war cemetery
Cemeteries in Somme (department)
German War Graves Commission
World War II cemeteries in France
World War II memorials in France ...
, ''Die Mutter'' he Mother
See also
* ''
Der Rufer''
References
External links
Gerhard Marcks Haus, BremenWorks by Marcks on cats at website ''The Great Cat''
Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus (includes images, texts and letters about Gerhard Marcks, Wildenhain's Bauhaus master and close friend)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcks, Gerhard
1889 births
1981 deaths
Bauhaus teachers
German sculptors
German male sculptors
German Army personnel of World War I
Artists from Berlin
People from the Province of Brandenburg
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
20th-century sculptors
University of Fine Arts of Hamburg faculty
Olympic competitors in art competitions