Friedrich Seidenstücker

FRIEDRICH SEIDENSTÜCKER (Germany, 1882-1966).
"Panthers fighting".
Patinated bronze.
Signed and dated.
With foundry stamp.
Measurements: 20.5 x 57 x 12 cm.

The sculpture in tender is, in addition to a clear exponent of the Art Deco movement, one of the few known sculptural works by Friedrich Seidenstücker. It depicts two fierce panthers fighting, a recurring motif in Art Deco sculpture. This style, especially between the 1920s and 1930s, felt a strong attraction for exotic and powerful animals -such as panthers, leopards or gazelles- because they perfectly matched its aesthetic values: movement, elegance, sensuality and dynamism. The compositions with panthers facing each other or in tension also provided a dramatic and decorative component that was highly appreciated in luxury objects, such as bronze sculptures, chryselephantine figures or decorative pieces for sophisticated interiors.

Friedrich Seidenstücker was a German photographer noted for his work in urban and everyday life photography, especially in interwar Berlin; he began his career as a merchant, but in the 1920s he turned to photography and became associated with the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) movement, characterized by a direct, precise and unidealized gaze; His images capture spontaneous scenes of city life - parks, zoos, streets and public spaces - with an often humorous or ironic approach, showing social hallmarks and human behavior; after the arrival of Nazism his artistic activity was limited, and after World War II his work was rediscovered, being today valued as one of the most unique visual chroniclers of twentieth-century Berlin.