The Avenger

1914, cast 1930

Ernst Barlach German, 1870-1938

On View

Modern, Level 2, North Wing

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

The Avenger testifies to the enthusiasm with which Ernst Barlach, like many of his artist contemporaries in Germany, welcomed the outbreak of World War I as a catalyst for a new and better future. When the horrors of war unraveled, Barlach became profoundly disillusioned, and the meaning of the sculpture shifted for him.
First sculpted in clay and plaster between September and October 1914, the figure of The Avenger personified the will to action. The artist described it enthusiastically as “the crystalized essence of War.” Its lunging horizontal silhouette on a slanted base and prismatically stretched robe, the upraised sword, ready to strike, conveyed an unrestrained aggression. After the war, in 1922, Barlach carved a larger version in wood, making subtle alterations to the figure’s face, now marked with more ambivalent expression.
This bronze was issued by Barlach’s dealer Alfred Flechtheim in 1930, the first in an intended edition of ten.

Title The Avenger

Artwork Date 1914, cast 1930

Artist Ernst Barlach

Life Dates 1870-1938

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. German

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Bronze

Dimensions Overall: 17 1/2 × 8 1/2 × 23 1/2 inches (44.5 × 21.6 × 59.7 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department European Modern Art to 1970

Credit Gift of Mrs. George Kamperman in memory of her husband Dr. George Kamperman

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 64.260

Markings

Signed Signed, on left side above base: E Barlach 1/10

Inscriptions Inscribed: 1/10.

Marks Marks: H. NOACK | BERLIN FRIEDENAN

Provenance

by 1946, Dr. and Mrs. George Kamperman (Detroit, Michigan, USA);
1964-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Arts. Exh. cat., Bunkamura Museum of Art. Detroit, 1989, no.115 (ill.).

Uhr, Horst. "Masterpieces of German Expressionism at the Detroit Institute of Arts." New York, 1982, p. 32 (ill.).

"Arts and Crafts in Detroit." 1976, no. 247, p.188 (ill.).

Bulletin of the DIA 44, no. 1 (1964-65): p. 10, p.14 (ill.).

Origins of Modern Sculpture. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts and St. Louis City Art Museum. Detroit and St. Louis, 1946, cat. no. 74. [as "Revenge"]

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Ernst Barlach, The Avenger, 1914, cast 1930, bronze. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mrs. George Kamperman in memory of her husband Dr. George Kamperman, 64.260.