Kolbe, Georg

Kolbe, Georg (gā`ôrkh kôl`bə), 1877–1947, German sculptor. Kolbe studied painting and after meeting Rodin turned to sculpture, working in Berlin from 1903 until his death. He is best known for his impressionist figure studies, many of which are in American museums. During the Nazi regime, Kolbe turned to works of a more aggressive nature, producing idealized figures of warriors and athletes.

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Kolbe, Georg 

Born Apr. 15, 1877, in Waldheim, Saxony; died Nov. 20, 1947, in Berlin. German sculptor.

From 1895 to 1897, Kolbe studied at the Munich Academy of Arts. Between 1897 and 1901 he lived in Paris and Rome. He was influenced by Rodin. Kolbe is noted for his statues of youths and girls, standing or turning freely in space (Dancer, bronze, 1911–12, National Gallery, Berlin). His works are marked by harmony and integrity of images, clear modeling of forms, fluidity of outlines, and the gentle play of color and shadow. Kolbe had the ability to convey various aspects of movement. He created the monument to Ludwig van Beethoven in Frankfort am Main (1927–47), designed a monument to the victims of fascism (1946), and sculpted portrait heads.

WORKS

Auf Wegen der Kunst. . . Schriften. . . . Berlin, 1949.

REFERENCES

Georg Kolbe: Bilderwerke. Leipzig [1939].
Wolters, A. Georg Kolbes Beethovendenkmal. [Frankfort am Main] 1951.