Josef Franz Pallenberg

JOSEF FRANZ PALLENBERG (Cologne, 1882 - Düsseldorf, 1946).
"Ostrich".
Patinated bronze.
Marble pedestal.
Signed.
Measurements: 24 x 20 x 12 cm.

Pallenberg, who lived with numerous animals in his own environment and tirelessly studied their behavior, achieves in his bronze sculptures not only a faithful description of animal morphology, but also a symbolic transposition of their vital essence, making each piece a silent celebration of the natural world and its inexhaustible plastic power.

Josef Franz Pallenberg was a German sculptor, best known for his animal statues. At the age of six, a visit to the Cologne Zoo inspired him to begin drawing animals. In 1899 he enrolled at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, where he received drawing lessons from Ernst Roeber and Willy Spatz. He soon switched to sculpture classes taught by Karl Janssen. His first major work, "Sauhatz", was exhibited at the Kunstpalast in 1902 as part of the Industrial and Commercial Exhibition. However, he was refused a medal because it was classified as a "student work". In 1904, he presented sixteen sculptures at the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung. In 1907 he won a gold medal for his bronze statue "Fliegende Adler". After leaving the Kunstakademie, he moved to the Berlin Zoo, where zoologist Ludwig Heck became his patron. He made several large animal sculptures, which attracted the attention of Carl Hagenbeck, an animal dealer who is credited with the creation of the modern zoo. The result was a commission to sculpt the bronzes for the entrance gates of the Tierpark Hagenbeck. In 1912, he established a private zoo on a larger property in a new studio in Düsseldorf. His younger brother, Christian, helped him at first to care for the animals, until he was called up. In 1915, Maria Steinhausen, the widow of a friend, moved in with her fifteen-year-old daughter. Together they took care of the animals and their home. He and Maria married in 1917. During World War II, he had to get rid of most of his animals for lack of food. His studio was severely damaged by bombing. Many of his works and most of his anatomical collection were lost. The surviving works were transferred to the Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum. At his death he donated his natural science collection. He was buried in the Lohausen cemetery under a boulder with a bronze eagle. In 2013, an exhibition on his life and work was installed at Schloss Benrath.