A stipend from the municipal authorities of Duisburg provided the initial financial support for Wilhelm Lehmbruck to pursue sculpture at the School of Applied Arts in Düsseldorf. Born in 1881, he evolved from a scientific illustrator into a major contributor to German Expressionism, ultimately producing work characterized by emotional melancholy and distinctive, elongated human forms.
Formative Years and Education
The fourth of eight children born to a miner, Lehmbruck began his professional career in 1899 by illustrating scientific publications. Between 1901 and 1906, he attended the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, associating with the regional school of painting. His initial public recognition occurred at the 1906 Deutsche Kunstausstellung in Cologne. Following his academy training, he established himself as an independent artist in Düsseldorf before embarking on travels through Italy, England, the Netherlands, and France.
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Living in Paris from 1910 to 1914, Lehmbruck integrated into the international art community. He frequented the Café du Dôme, engaging with contemporaries including Modigliani, Brâncuși, and Archipenko. His exposure to the work of Auguste Rodin deeply influenced his aesthetic direction. By 1912, he exhibited alongside Egon Schiele at the Folkwang Museum in Hagen, and in 1914, he hosted his first solo exhibition at the Galerie Levesque in Paris.
Wartime Experience and Final Years
The onset of World War I prompted Lehmbruck to serve as a paramedic in a Berlin military hospital. The trauma of this period profoundly impacted his artistic output, evident in works such as the 1915–16 sculpture Fallen Man. Battling severe depression, he moved to Zürich in late 1916. He eventually returned to Berlin, having been elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts in early 1919, shortly before his death by suicide on 25 March 1919.
Legacy and Institutional Collections
Lehmbruck’s work remains held in numerous major institutions, including the Tate Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Art. The Lehmbruck Museum in his home city of Duisburg, designed by his son Manfred Lehmbruck, houses approximately 100 of his sculptures, 40 paintings, and over 1,000 drawings and graphic works. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe frequently incorporated Lehmbruck's sculptures into his design projects.
Fast facts
- Born: 1881, Duisburg
- Died: 1919, Berlin
- Education: Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
- Movement: Expressionism
- Occupations: Sculptor, painter, illustrator, graphic artist
- Spouse: Anita Kaufmann
- Burial site: Waldfriedhof Duisburg
Questions readers ask
What stylistic traits define Lehmbruck's sculpture?
His work is primarily defined by a sense of melancholy and the elongation of the human form, influenced by both Naturalism and Gothic architecture.
Where can Lehmbruck's work be viewed today?
His pieces are held in international collections such as the Tate Gallery, MoMA, the National Gallery of Art, and the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg.
Achievements
- Movement: Expressionism
