Fritz Klimsch

FRITZ KLIMSCH (Frankfurt, 1870 - Friburg, 1960).
"Nostalia", c. 1948.
Bronze.
Signed. With foundry stamp, H. Noack Berlin.
Measurements: 45 x 17 x 28 cm.
Exhibitions: "European sculpture of the 20th century", European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, 2014.
Measurements: 45 x 17 x 28 cm.

The sculpture presents a female figure in a recollected position, kneeling, with her arms crossed and an introspective expression. The surface has a soft patina that accentuates the rounded forms and subtle anatomy, seeking a harmonious and classical beauty. Executed around 1948, this work belongs to his mature stage, where Klimsch moved away from large public commissions to focus on more intimate and universal themes.
Belonging to a lineage of artists, Fritz Klimsch studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin, where he was a student of Fritz Schaper. In 1898 he was one of the founding members of the Berlin Secession. He had the opportunity to become personally acquainted with Rodin's work, which impressed him with its expressiveness and vivacity. Along with Rodin, his other great reference was Adolf von Hildebrand, who, in contrast to the French sculptor, represented balance and serenity. Both sculptors, together with his trips to Italy and Greece, explain his style and evolution: he began making Art Nouveau sculptures, to gradually refine his style towards classicism, especially after 1933. This caused the National Socialism to appropriate his style, which they considered as a great artist, and included him in their Gottbegnadeten-Liste; in fact, he participated in the Great Exhibition of "German Art" organized by them, and received in 1940 the Goethe Medal in recognition of his art.