1. The Exhibition
The exhibition „Political Sculpture – Barlach/Kasper/Thorak/Wotruba“, a project in cooperation with Linz 2009 and the Landesgalerie Linz, is part of a project initiative by the Upper Austrian State Museums on the topic of National Socialism and Linz. The exhibition runs parallel to the main exhibition, “The Führer’s Capital of Culture” – Art and National Socialism in Linz and Upper Austria at the Castle Museum.The project for Linz 2009 European Capital of Culture is made possible in cooperation with the Ernst Barlach Foundation Güstrow and supported by the Fritz Wotruba Private Foundation in Vienna. For the first time, works by Ernst Barlach, Ludwig Kasper, Josef Thorak and Fritz Wotruba will be displayed together at one exhibition.
In regards to the selection of these particular artists for this exhibition, neither the artists’ biographical nor artistic attributes were among the deciding factors. The lives of and the works by each of the four sculptors are completely separate from one another. The sculptors also had no contact with each other during their lifetimes. Aside from Thorak and Wotruba, who were both born in Vienna and studied at different times under Anton Hanak, the times and places of their births, as well as their subsequent studies, social environment, public and critical acclaim, collections and their individual and artistic development, are not considered a common foundation for the exhibition.
The lack of a common background, under which the curators aim to organize the exhibition “Political Sculpture”, is the most distinguishable feature between the four artists: the lives and works by Barlach, Kasper, Thorak and Wotruba are to be differentiated and observed differently in regards to the “entire phenomena” of National Socialism.
As the oldest of the four sculptors, Ernst Barlach (*1870) experienced all of the despair brought on by the policies of national socialist cultural politics in the years before his death in 1938. Contrary to Barlach, at the same time Josef Thorak (*1889) was advancing to become a central figure of national socialist propaganda. Ludwig Kasper’s (*1893) sculptures were subjected to both recognition as well as rejection. Fritz Wotruba (1907) spent the years spanning World War II in exile in Switzerland.
As different as the lives and works by these artists’ were, their relationship to National Socialism in particular was more representative of what their philosophy of life, attitudes and fates had become and the exhibition portrays a wide spectrum of complex relationships as well as the interdependency between art and politics. The exhibition “Political Sculptures” seeks to portray an extensive viewpoint by showcasing the works by each of these four sculptors.
The second objective is an analysis of the way each the works was received after 1945 and how these works are treated and dealt up to the present day. The exhibition at the Landesgalerie Linz explores how each work was utilized to serve different political and social agendas after WWII up to the present.
The Exhibition „Political Sculpture“ is divided into three sections:
The first section contains a total of four exhibition rooms, each of which provides an introduction to the sculptor’s work. In conjunction with the Ernst Barlach Foundation Güstrow and the Fritz Wotruba Private Foundation, as well as loans from public and private collections, the exhibition is proud to present the original works by each of the four sculptors.
The second section is devoted to the biographies of each artist.
The third section explores the specific crossing points between each of the artists and illustrates to visitors at length on the institutions and establishments in which the sculptors would have been contextualized today.
On one hand, the exhibition title „Political Sculpture“ conveys what effects the different forms of politics had in the lives and works created by each of the four sculptors. At the same time, the title also emphasizes the underlying attitudes that had become uniquely interwoven and inseparable for a generation of artists living and working in twentieth century arts and politics.
Above all, the title also reveals that some of Josef Thorak’s works were not only used as instruments of propaganda for National Socialism, but reflected his personal views as well.
On loan from the following collections:
Albertina Vienna
Museum of German History Berlin
Ernst Barlach Foundation Güstrow
Fritz Wotruba Private Foundation Vienna
State Archives in Salzburg
Salzburg Museum of Modern Art
Museum Association Langenzersdorf
Roman Order of St. Ursula, Vienna
Assisted Living Rathsberg Erlangen
