'The bronze sculpture of the "Sitting Woman" testifies to the artist August Macke's great interest in different artistic techniques and his accompanying joy in experimenting with materials. The closed posture and the indefinite gaze convey an inner contentment and calm emanating from the sitter, which is also expressed in Macke's drawings and paintings. This basic mood fully corresponds to the artist's idea of paradise and a peaceful existence. (Dr Arnhold, Museum Director, LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster) Original: 1912, plasticine, 23 x 17 x 15.5 cm, inv. no. F-1029 LM, donated by the Macke heirs. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Limited edition of 100, numbered and hallmarked with the foundry and ars mundi stamp. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limited edition. Size 23 x 16 x 14 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 4.8 kg. Published in co-operation with the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster. ars mundi exclusive edition.

The artist Bernhard Hoetger was stylistically versatile and loved to utilise elements of foreign cultures. His portrait of Sent M'Ahesa not only testifies to his intensive study of Egyptian art, but also to his impressive ability to adapt it to contemporary times. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 199 pieces, numbered and hallmarked with the foundry stamp. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Format approx. 25 x 17 x 20 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 3.9 kg. ars mundi exclusive edition. 'The expressive dancer Elsa von Carlberg, who became known at the beginning of the 20th century under the pseudonym Sent M'Ahesa, combined eccentricity and exoticism. The similarity between her portraits, which Bernhard Hoetger created in 1917, and the famous bust of Nefertiti is striking. But how could the artist have known her? Although it had already been found in 1912 in Amarna in central Egypt, it was not exhibited in Berlin until 1924. Did Hoetger know photos of the bust or was he even a guest of James Simon, in whose house Nefertiti stood at the time? It is not only because of this unsolved mystery that the portraits of Sent M'Ahesa are considered icons of Expressionism today. (Dr Katja Lembke, Director of the Landesmuseum Hannover)

Mongini's beautiful Greek woman combines movement and movement at the same time. But she does not reveal her secret: does she show the promise of the foam-born Aphrodite or does she want to be the symbol of earthly ecstasy? Original sculpture. Size incl. shell limestone base 84 x 30 x 23 cm (H/W/D). Weight approx. 42 kg. ars mundi exclusive edition as an art casting, cast by hand, finely patinated. Limited edition of 299 pieces (total limited edition of 398 pieces, 99 pieces in bronze), numbered, signed and with certificate.

The wonderful, demure portrait of his sister Gerti contains stylistic features of both the Secession and Schiele's Expressionist work. porcelain-like cast resin, worked and painted by hand. Height 30 cm.

A worldwide exclusive at ars mundi: Emil Nolde's Burmese Dancer It must have been a great adventure for Nolde, a farmer's boy: from the beginning of October 1913 until the summer of 1914, he accompanied the 'Medical-Demographic German New Guinea Expedition'. The artist Nolde concentrated entirely on the people, he drew and watercoloured them and was fascinated by their rituals. On Java, he was able to attend a royal festival. Having trained as a woodcarver in his youth, he was so impressed by the dancers and their performances, which were controlled down to the smallest movement, that he occupied himself with capturing their gracefulness in figures made of firewood from the ship's galley on his intermediate journeys. Emil Nolde's love and admiration for the indigenous people of the countries he travelled to is reflected in the small beauty of the Burmese dancer. He attended a dance performance of a special kind and, looking back, recorded what he saw in his memoirs. Nolde was so fascinated by this dance that a little later he took up a carving knife and moulded the graceful dancer out of a piece of firewood. The eyes of the little dancer are particularly striking; she is the only figure from Nolde's hand to wear sparkling garnets. I am delighted that, after the Java Dancer, the enchanting Burmese Dancer has now been reproduced in outstanding quality for a select audience in order to publicise this hitherto largely unknown facet of Nolde's work. (Dr Christian Ring, Director of the Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde Foundation)Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Moulded directly from the original, reproduced in original size. Partially 24 carat gold-plated. Eyes with red garnets. Limited edition of 980 pieces, numbered and with signature and foundry hallmark. Published in collaboration with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Format 8.5 x 28 x 4 cm (W/H/D). ars mundi exclusive edition.

A worldwide exclusive at ars mundi: Emil Nolde's Java Dancer It must have been a great adventure for Nolde, a farmer's boy: from the beginning of October 1913 until the summer of 1914, he accompanied the 'Medical-Demographic German New Guinea Expedition'. The artist Nolde concentrated entirely on the people, he drew and watercoloured them and was fascinated by their rituals. On Java, he was able to attend a royal festival. Having trained as a woodcarver in his youth, he was so impressed by the dancers and their performances, which were controlled down to the smallest movement, that he spent his time on his travels capturing their grace in figures made of firewood from the ship's galley. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Moulded directly from the original, reproduced in original size. Partially 24 carat gold-plated. Limited edition of 980 pieces, numbered and with signature and foundry hallmark. Published in collaboration with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limited edition. Format 8 x 31 x 7 cm (W/H/D). ars mundi exclusive edition.

Together with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll, we were able to realise the work 'Mother with Child' by Emil Nolde, the bronze edition of a wood carving in its original size. The almost touching work shows him to be a sculptural artist of the highest calibre. 'It is largely unknown that Emil Nolde began his artistic development as a trained wood sculptor and furniture carver. He was therefore deeply familiar with working with wood when he took up the carving technique again during his trip to the South Seas in 1913/14. While still on the trip, he created a small series of sculptures, all of which can be found in his estate at the Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde Foundation. In his choice of motifs, he concentrated on one of the central themes that characterise his art, namely people. He was interested in reproducing the underlying character and traits of the people he depicted, such as the self-confident woman or mother and child in a tender and intimate relationship. It therefore gives me great pleasure that a further facet of Nolde's work is becoming known to a select public with this sculpture reproduced in excellent quality. (Dr Christian Ring, Director of the Nolde Foundation in Seebüll) Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique, chiselled and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reproduced in the original size. Limited edition of 980 pieces, numbered and signed with the foundry mark. Published in collaboration with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limited edition. Size 23 x 8 x 5 cm (h/w/d). Weight 1.35 kg. © Nolde Foundation Seebüll

Together with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll, we were able to realise the work 'Prophet' by Emil Nolde, the bronze edition of a wood carving in original size.'Emil Nolde began his artistic development as a trained wood sculptor and furniture carver. During his trip to the South Seas in 1913/14, he took up the carving technique again and created a small series of sculptures whose elegance shows his familiar handling of wood. In 1921 Max Sauerlandt characterised the sculptures: they are 'all of wood-like unity of body and sparing movement. Under the stimulus of the noble material, the carving lust of the first years of learning has suddenly awakened once again in a new form. Nolde's 'Prophet', also initially called Priest, belongs thematically to the works dedicated to religious and biblical themes. These play a special role in Emil Nolde's oeuvre, they are among the highlights of his life's work and are still considered masterpieces today. In his depictions, Nolde does not follow the Bible to the letter, but rather describes an experience that he describes as being born deep within him, secure and 'inwardly glowing'. 'I had to be artistically free, not have God before me like a steel-hard Assyrian ruler, but God within me, hot and holy like the love of Christ.'I am very pleased that with the excellent quality reproduction of the sculpture 'Prophet', another facet of Nolde's sculptures is becoming known to a select public. (Dr Christian Ring, Director of the Nolde Foundation in Seebüll)Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique, chiselled and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reproduced in the original size. Limited edition of 980 pieces, individually numbered. The base (made of bronze) bears Nolde's signature and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limited edition. Format 30 x 6 x 5 cm (H/W/D). Weight approx. 1 kg. © 2024 Nolde Foundation Seebüll

It was the adventure of a lifetime when Emil and Ada Nolde travelled to the South Seas on a scientific research expedition from 1913 to 1914. Nolde was fascinated by the seemingly paradisiacal landscape, but above all by the locals he met there. He produced numerous paintings, sketches and drawings - as well as several sculptures. The South Seas theme was to occupy Nolde for a long time after his return. 'It is largely unknown that Emil Nolde began his artistic development as a trained wood sculptor and furniture carver. He was therefore deeply familiar with working with wood when he took up the carving technique again during his trip to the South Seas in 1913/14. While still on the trip, he created a small series of sculptures, all of which can be found in his estate at the Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde Foundation. In his choice of motifs, he concentrated on one of the central themes that characterise his art, namely people. He was interested in reproducing the underlying character and traits of the people depicted. It therefore gives me great pleasure that this sculpture, reproduced in excellent quality, brings another facet of Nolde's work to the attention of a select public. (Dr Christian Ring, Director of the Nolde Foundation in Seebüll) Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique, chiselled and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reproduced in the original size. Limited edition of 980 pieces, individually numbered. The base (made of bronze) bears Nolde's signature and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Format 27.5 x 5.5 x 3 cm (H/W/D). Weight 1 kg.

Ernst Barlach and the work of thought Barlach's 'Sinnender' was created in 1934, which was also a year of great upheaval and important decisions for him. Although Barlach initially demonstrated his willingness to subordinate himself to the Nazi art system by signing the 'Aufruf der Kulturschaffenden' ('Call of the Creative Artists'), the criticism of him from these very circles, which had been voiced loudly for some time, grew to such an extent that his first works were removed from public view. His 'Wanderer in the Wind' - also from 1934 - is interpreted today as the work with which he finally took a stand against the regime. In this respect, his 'Sinnender' also symbolises an agonising process: a young man who can see the effort of thinking because he is being asked to make a momentous decision. Sculpture 'The Contemplative II': Fingertips placed against the cheek and deeply absorbed in thought: Barlach's 'Contemplative' shows thinking as highly concentrated labour. Moulded by hand using the lost wax technique and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Ernst Barlach Gesellschaft. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 8 x 34.5 x 5.5 cm (W/H/D). Weight 2.5 kg. 'For me, 'Der Sinnende' embodies the stillness of great wisdom in its pose. The slightly bulging round shape of the body is only emphasised by four long folds. The left hand, raised to the chin, appears as an actively raised gesture of contemplation and introspection, while the right hand is rather inactively withdrawn into the shell of the cloak. Fragile and sensitive, 'the contemplative' appears as the contemplative existence par excellence. He seems to be a person who is dependent on external, perhaps higher help. He does not judge, he does not pass judgement, he simply bears witness to his existence. Spirituality and religious aura permeate his entire appearance. (Dr Jürgen Doppelstein, Ernst Barlach Society)

'Ernst Barlach's sculpture marks the beginning of a decisive change of style in his work, which the artist continuously refined and maintained until his death in 1938. It is also an important contemporary document of the decline of the ruling systems. After a brief deployment as a soldier in 1915/16, Barlach was traumatised and oriented towards religious searching. Themes of war and battle circulate and ferment in his consciousness. His expressive figures, however, became more and more self-contained on the outside. Everything ornamental and decorative is stripped away. The sculptural accents are limited to the bare essentials. The sometimes lively lines of the garment, as in the 'Stroller' of 1912, are used to emphasise an inner feeling, also in the depiction of the face and hands. The sculpture becomes an expression of consciousness, a convincing power and strength. The freezing girl is an outstanding example of the new emphatic style. The figure grows upwards from the almost square plinth, motionless like a column, in sculptural rhythms. Beneath the warming cloak of heavy fabric, the hands clasp the face to the cheeks. Holding it like a jewel. The face mask shows mouth, nose, eyes and brows, but appears closed, listening inwards. It seems as if she can hear the tremors in the machinery of humanity on earth behind closed eyes. The shock makes her freeze. Her heart goes cold when she thinks of the millions of people that war and revolution have devoured and will devour. You can fight the sub-zero temperatures with heating, exercise and thick clothes if you have them. It is difficult to find a remedy for the cold heart that is frozen by war, loneliness and ignorance. The girl's posture in Barlach's work emphasises pausing, contemplation, contemplation, and here the artist is completely with the people, with their joys but also with their pain, with their fear. In his artistic work, Barlach fulfils his human mission to give strength and comfort through the vivid density and presence of his works. His entire oeuvre is clarity and encouragement. In every work, it provides the decisive moment of pause and self-recognition. (Dr Friedhelm Häring, former museum director and curator) Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Moulded from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' as well as the foundry and ars mundi hallmark. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Size approx. 32.5 x 9 x 8 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 3.1 kg. ars mundi exclusive edition.

Memorial and expression of friendship: The 'Hovering Man' One of Ernst Barlach's most famous works, the 'Hovering Man', was created as a memorial to the victims of the First World War and hung as such in a niche in Güstrow Cathedral from 1927-1937. However, it is also a memorial to friendship in two ways: as a complete sculpture (catalogue raisonné 425) and as a detailed cast 'Head of the Güstrow Memorial of Honour' (catalogue raisonné 426). We have Barlach's friends to thank for the fact that the complete sculpture still exists. Shortly after the artist's death in 1938, they had another cast made based on the existing model and hid it after 'The Floating Man' was classified as 'degenerate' by the Nazi authorities in 1937, removed from the cathedral and finally even melted down. It now hangs in the Antoniterkirche in Cologne and could in turn be used to make another cast for its original location. Barlach's masterpiece thus returned to Güstrow Cathedral in 1953 and has since then commemorated the victims of the world wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-45, with the dates engraved in stone beneath it. The 'Head of the Güstrow Memorial of Honour', Barlach's detailed cast from 1930, is also a document of a direct artistic friendship. Its facial features are quite clearly - although 'unintentionally', as Barlach later claimed - those of his artist friend Käthe Kollwitz. Her work was also ostracised in National Socialist Germany. In 1936, her works were removed from the Berlin Academy exhibition. From then on, she was practically no longer present as an artist. In retrospect, the 'Head of the Güstrow Monument of Honour' seems like a premonition of a community of fate: it is the portrait of an artist who Barlach admired as a friend and who, like him, soon faced difficult times. The special features of this edition: made of fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size. Limited to 980 copies, individually numbered, with foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Ernst Barlach Gesellschaft. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Version on a stone base. Detail casting of the 'Schwebender' (WVZ 244, 1927), first executed in 1930 (WVZ 426). Mounted on a stone plinth. Size with plinth 22.5 x 28 x 19 cm (W/H/D), weight 5.75 kg.

The mysticism of love: Ernst Barlach's 'Kussgruppe I'. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Kunsthalle Bremen The work of Ernst Barlach (1870-1938) is characterised by profound humanity. His depictions of ordinary people avoid the idealisation of the external and at the same time insist on an ideal of humanity that is diametrically opposed to the historical course of the artist's life. His praying, musical, searching figures seem to be imbued with a spiritual force that makes them part of an overarching, mystical whole. This also applies to Barlach's Kiss, which was certainly also created in 1921 in dialogue with Auguste Rodin's work of the same name. Unlike Rodin's work, the sculptural group does not emphasise the element of Eros, but depicts the lovers in an affection that goes far beyond this. The intimacy with which they are turned towards each other seems to be characterised by a long shared life experience and unbreakable trust. Even in its monolithic structure, the work shows a 'two-ness' of the couple that reveals love not as a fleeting erotic phenomenon, but as an almost mystical fundamental human experience - not Venus and Adonis, but Philemon and Baucis were the inspiration here.sculpture 'Kussgruppe I': Original: painted plaster. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Moulded directly from the original. Limited edition of 980 pieces, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. Published in co-operation with the Kunsthalle Bremen. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 19.5 x 19 x 10 cm (h/w/d). Weight 3.2 kg. ars mundi exclusive edition. 'Some of the most famous works of modern art are dedicated to the kiss - Gustav Klimt's and Auguste Rodin's depictions are the most prominent examples. Ernst Barlach also explored this theme. At the centre of his work is the human being and the entire range of his emotions. The Bremen kissing group presents an unusually intimate view of a couple showing affection, which is further emphasised by the format and the medium.' (Prof. Dr Christoph Grunenberg, Director of the Kunsthalle Bremen)

Barlach, one of the main representatives of German Expressionism, is famous for his wood and bronze sculptures. The theme of reading monks had already preoccupied him in 1921. In the bronze work from 1932, of which there was a wooden version, he emphasises the expressive power of the linear folds of the robes through reduction and welds the block of seated figures together. He was inspired by the art of 14th century Florence, as well as the sculptures and paintings of the master Bertram (1345-1415), who in the altar of 1379 in the Hamburger Kunsthalle displays a primal, vivid narrative gift. Barlach's avant-garde vision sought to recapture this fundamental power. The wooden version was ridiculed by the National Socialists in 1937 in Munich in the exhibition 'Degenerate Art'. Barlach's work survived, recognised worldwide and represented in the most important collections. Sculpture 'Reading Monks III': Driven by humanity and social commitment, Barlach's creative power leads to concentration and internalisation. The joint-like treatment of his surfaces, in conjunction with the folded curves, is like breathing in and out, a vital cohesion. The circle that opens up in the sculpture from the head of the left monk over the shoulder and arm to the open book is continued to the arm of the right monk and closes in the shoulder and head tilt. The communication between the individuals and the book lives in this circle. They have read and understood. In the admonishing silence outside the fleeting process of life, they have come to rest. We recognise the fine nuances of designed balance in the folded hands of the monk on the right, which hover like a symbol in front of two folds of the bowl. Barlach's work becomes the mouth of truth. 'I recommend this work as an important contemporary document before which we can become reverent. Its great potential today is to show a way away from the fashionable and trivial sensations of everyday life to the essence of being human: Asking questions, recognising, drawing conclusions for self-discovery. The reading monks III provide an example. They illustrate the appeal and comfort that comes from books. Joy and depth in understanding the world can emerge from a poem as they do from this sculpture. In his forms, Barlach gives us a part of the endless context of creation, the prerequisites for approaching the meaning of life. That is the religious aspect of his art, love. (Dr Friedhelm Häring, former museum director and curator)Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique and chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 pieces, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Size 22 x 16.5 x 14 cm (h/w/d), weight 4.2 kg.

Bronze after a cast from 1932, which was shown publicly for the first time at the 'Living German Art' exhibition in Berlin in 1933. The trip to Russia in 1906 had released new, form-conscious energies in Barlach, which strongly characterised his further artistic work. With the Russian beggar sculptures, he thus laid the foundation for his further sculptural work. The 'Russian Beggar II' is a highly expressive, meditative figure. The form is framed by the broadly curved outline of the back, which opens up solely through the outstretched hand. In this way, the head, bowed in humility or shame, is connected with the hand outstretched in supplication and becomes an expression of a process that is both spiritual and physical. This hand does not formulate a demand, but a need and request for material and spiritual nourishment. Barlach describes the meaning of his beggar figures as 'symbols of the human situation in its nakedness between heaven and earth'. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique and patinated. Directly moulded from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Format 14.5 x 26 x 11.5 cm (h/w/d). Weight 3.4 kg.

'When Ernst Barlach created his figure 'Teaching Christ' in 1931, he addressed one of the main themes of Western art history by depicting the Saviour. Barlach depicts the Son of God as a man among men. The 'Teaching Christ' wears a simple robe; he is not enthroned, but sits in a relaxed, open posture and radiates empathy and affection. The design and structure of the sculpture aim to ensure that the viewer literally encounters Christ and his love for mankind at eye level. The 'Teaching Christ' was not cast in bronze for the first time until 1938, seven years after it was created. And it was only after the Second World War that a total of 14 large figures cast from the original found their way into churches - in Güstrow, in Rostock, in Hamburg in the Christuskirche, but also in the Stedelijk in Eindhoven and in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. (Dr Friedhelm Häring, former museum director and curator) Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Moulded from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' as well as the foundry and ars mundi hallmark. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Size 28 x 13 x 10.5 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 2.9 kg. ars mundi exclusive edition.

Ernst Barlach's book reader - a milestone of modernismThe motif of the reader is a key motif in Barlach's work, which he already thematised in the lithograph 'Wem Zeit wie Ewigkeit und Ewigkeit wie Zeit, der ist befreit von allem Leid' from 1916 and in a charcoal drawing from 1922. The motif was given particular density in the spring of 1936 in the sculpture 'The Book Reader'. 'The Book Reader' is completely immersed in his reading, radiating concentration and meditative harmony. He lives in his world: 'His back, resembling a spherical shell, acts like a shield to keep out distractions, protecting the intimacy and solitude of the reader, the prerequisites for all intellectual endeavour'. Enthusiastic about Ernst Barlach's masterful depiction of the reading man, Bertolt Brecht described the work: 'A seated man, bent forward, holding a book in his heavy hands. He reads curiously, confidently, critically. He is clearly looking for solutions to urgent problems in the book (...) I like 'The Book Reader' better than Rodin's famous 'Thinker', which only shows the difficulty of thinking. Barlach's sculpture is more realistic, more concrete...' 'The Book Reader' is one of Ernst Barlach's best-known and most important works. Original casts in bronze can be found in the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Staatliches Museum Schwerin and the Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf, among others. The 150th birthday of the artist in 2020 was a special occasion for us to publish an anniversary edition of the 'Book Reader' in this impressive format, in an exclusive edition of 150 copies. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the lost wax technique, chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Taken directly from the original and reduced in size. Limited edition of 150 copies, numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' as well as the foundry and ars mundi hallmark. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Size approx. 41 x 19 x 29 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 14.4 kg. ars mundi exclusive edition.

Barlach's 'Zweifler' was created in 1931, when the ostracisation was already looming. Barlach was repeatedly and harshly attacked by National Socialist circles. The figure of the man who has sunk to his knees, begging for help, is that of a man in distress and perhaps also expresses Barlach's doubts about the humanistic power of his art. However, it has its timeless validity as an impressive depiction of doubt, uncertainty and probably also despair as a human condition.sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Ernst Barlach Gesellschaft. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 17 x 31 x 11.5 cm (W/H/D), weight 2.3 kg.

Barlach has this boy with a flat-fitting hat and knee-length cloak sitting on a round stone, playing the flute devotedly and completely absorbed in his playing, his eyes closed, completely at one with his instrument. In this way, the spiritual, the musical and the earthy weight of the stone flow together in the pictorial work. In the flow of lines and gliding surfaces, this work is the realisation of a flute melody in sculptural form. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Ernst Barlach Gesellschaft. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Format 19 x 28 x 11 cm (W/H/D). Weight approx. 3.6 kg.

Ernst Barlach's masterpiece There is no doubt that Ernst Barlach was one of the most outstanding personalities of Expressionism and one of the most important artists from Germany. He always placed people at the centre of his artistic work, as in his 'Krautpflückerin', a simple woman working in the fields, bending down to pick meadow plants. This sculpture, created in 1894, was Barlach's masterpiece: it was part of the final examination of his studies at the Dresden Academy of Art in 1895; at the same time, he exhibited it as his first work at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1898. Sculpture 'Die Krautpflückerin': Original: coloured plaster. Fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique and patinated. Directly moulded from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Ernst Barlach Gesellschaft. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Format 21 x 22.5 x 14 cm (W/H/D), weight 2.5 kg. 'I am always fascinated by Ernst Barlach's 'Krautpflückerin'. With this work, the sculptor took a new look at people's everyday lives and thus not only gave sculpture in Germany a new impetus, but also a new meaning. With this work, he began to bring the common people, the so-called people of the street, back into the real visual field of vision of art. (Dr Jürgen Doppelstein, Chairman of the Ernst Barlach Society)

'The Reunion' is one of the epoch-making works of modern sculpture: the profound humanity that characterises Barlach's work goes beyond the biblical scene depicted here. Incidentally, it has to do with an eyewitness: Thomas - in Aramaic his name could be translated as 'twin' - encounters Christ, in whose resurrection, according to the biblical account, he only wanted to believe when he could see him with his own eyes and put his fingers in his wound. Barlach stages the second of recognition and shows the moment of realisation and of rising up to the truth. He has thus created more than a Christian iconography. God incarnate is the 'twin' of man, his compassion is fraternal. And in this realisation of the humanity of the Son of God lies both hope and a task - the demand for humanity. This limited edition was created in close co-operation with the Ernst Barlach Society. Sculpture moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique. Size 14 x 33 x 8.5 cm (W/H/D). Weight approx. 3 kg. Limited edition of 980 pieces, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate.

Ernst Barlach's 'Communion of Saints': Symbols of human existenceErnst Barlach was highly recognised as a writer and sculptor of figurative sculptures well into his 30s. In 1925, he became an honorary member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. During this time, he also created various monumental memorials that would one day achieve world renown, including the 'Güstrow Memorial', the famous 'floating angel' in Güstrow Cathedral. In 1934, however, the tide turned. Barlach, now in his sixth decade, had to experience how his works were defamed as 'degenerate' and disappeared from museums. The monuments of honour he designed were destroyed, 'The Floating Man' from Güstrow Cathedral was even melted down - and if friends had not hidden a second cast until the end of the war, the work would be lost today. The situation is similar with the sculptures 'Woman in the Wind' and 'The Singer'. They were confiscated along with around 380 other works by Barlach. Their saviour was also their patron: Carl Georg Heise, museum director in Lübeck. In 1929, he had encouraged Barlach to design an ensemble of sculptures entitled 'Communion of Saints' for the west façade of St Catherine's Church in Lübeck. There were to be 16, but only three were realised between 1930 and 1932: 'The Beggar', 'The Singer' and 'The Woman in the Wind'. Three further figures: 'The Bound', 'The Pilgrim' and 'The Hornblower' have been preserved in preliminary models. Carl Georg Heise was dismissed in 1933, but obtained the three existing figures as private property. In 1939, the year after Barlach's death, they were handed over to him, and so they survived the war period 'in boxes [...] under the veranda in my mother-in-law's house', as he later reported. It was not until 1947 that they finally found their way into the designated niches of St Catherine's Church. The spatial effect of the Gothic church and the narrowness of the niches determined Barlach's conception of form. The proximity to medieval sculpture is unmistakable; however, Barlach did not create figures of saints in Christian iconography, but rather symbols of human existence and 'suffering and transfigured human figures facing the world, each struggling in his own way with his God' (Carl Georg Heise). Sculpture 'Der Sänger (Singender Klosterschüler)': In a strictly upright posture and with a band of music in his hands, the young monk raises his voice. The gaze is drawn to the face - it is full of concentration and devotion, be it to God or to the divine power of music. Bronze after a reduced model from 1931, cast by hand using the lost wax technique and patinated. Limited edition of 980 pieces, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition, published in collaboration with the Ernst Barlach Gesellschaft. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 7.5 x 33 x 5 cm (W/H/D), weight 2.2 kg.

This masterpiece by Ernst Barlach, cast in bronze in 1928, is an icon of modernism and probably the most frequently depicted sculptural work of German origin in the world. It adorns the covers of many illustrated books and is a permanent fixture in world-famous museums and collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In this sculpture we recognise 'infinity in the silent mirror of clear sounds, simple tones' (as Barlach wrote about a chance musical experience in a note dated 23 August 1914). 'The Singing Man' is a perfect example of what Barlach formulated as his artistic credo: 'My mother tongue is the human figure, or the milieu, the object through or in which man lives, suffers, rejoices, feels, thinks. To mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, we have produced a limited edition of just 150 copies of his famous 'Singing Man' as a large sculpture, available exclusively from ars mundi. Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique, chiselled and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 150 pieces worldwide, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Size 34 x 26 x 40 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 13 kg.'One of the most outstanding and popular designs in Ernst Barlach's oeuvre is 'The Singing Man' from 1928, when the artist was at the height of his creative powers. Barlach's basic motif is man looking into his innermost being to the point of the abysmal. Posture, contemplation and thoughtfulness characterise his expressions. Listening is part of singing. Breathing technique and language must form a common arc from which purity emanates. Singing, like all music, is fleeting. What strikes the listener is not the song, the content. It is the sequence of notes, the manner, the melos, the uniqueness in which the song joins the cosmos as a member of an infinite order. It is the deep moment of realisation that the artist captures in every fold of his robe, in his whole body. It resonates and resounds through the sculpture (personare) and makes the person of the singer the instrument of something more significant.' (Dr Friedhelm Häring - former museum director and curator)

'It was a fellow countryman who was travelling between Güstrow and Rostock. He sat opposite me with his mighty body so motionless that our knees were touching, there was no question of drawing. I had no choice but to draw him until I finally memorised him. This is how Ernst Barlach describes his encounter with the fellow traveller who would later serve as a model for his sculpture. A mature man trudges against the wind with his hands clasped behind his back. The sculpture is reminiscent of Goethe's privy councillor. One could also think of the great Ludwig van Beethoven, who is making his way through the streets of Vienna's historic centre in an overcoat. Both faced the wind and many a storm with courage and a spirit of contradiction throughout their lives. Barlach, like Goethe and Beethoven, was a passionate wanderer and walker. Continuing on his path through life is only a walk in exceptional cases. With eyes searching in the distance and whistling a defiant melody, Barlach's walker defies everything. His walker shows poise through and through. He does not go astray. He stands up to the wind. He exudes great urgency. It conveys impressive realisation, strength and power. Barlach's Stroller goes his own way, unperturbed by generational ideas, zeitgeist and fashions. (Dr Friedhelm Häring - former museum director and curator) Sculpture in fine bronze, cast by hand using the lost wax technique, chiselled and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 pieces, individually numbered and with the signature 'E. Barlach' and the foundry mark. ars mundi exclusive edition. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation certificate. Size 28 x 13.5 x 9.5 cm (h/w/d). Weight 4.8 kg.