Ernst Barlach, a predecessor to and contemporary of the German Expressionists, is difficult to classify because in part because he worked chiefly in the mediums of printmaking and sculpture.

He did not achieve the widespread renown of painters such as Wassily Kandinsky or Kirchner. Nevertheless, due to his multitude of talents, Barlach was an extremely influential artist. Like many in the Expressionist movement, his was interested in creating "total artworks" that united disciplines to explore the human condition from various perspectives.

He was also a writer, who produced a number of print portfolios illustrating literary works by himself and others. He was one of the artists who pioneered the woodcut revival that was to have a profound impact on his slightly younger Expressionist colleagues, as well as on Käthe Kollwitz.

German sculptor, writer and illustrator. B. studied 1888-95 at the Hamburg Kunstgewerbeschule and at the Dresden academy. He lived in Paris for two years before working as ceramicist in Hamburg, among others for the Altona manufactory in Mutz.

A journey to Russia became distinctive for his work. He first exhibited sculptures from Russian folk life at the Berlin secession in 1907. Subsequently he received many important public commissions.

Barlach was very much pressurized by the Nazis, and many of his works were seized or destroyed. Today he is appreciated as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th cent.

Museums .:
Hamburg (Ernst Barlach Haus),

Nuremberg (Germanisches Nationalmuseum),

Schwerin a. others. Lit .: Schult (cat. Rais.) A. others.