Drypoint etching on cream laid paper
Germany, circa 1924
Georg Kolbe (1877-1947) – German sculptor
Signed in pencil lower right ‘Georg Kolbe’
Numbered in pencil lower left ‘20/20’
Framed and matted
Plate dimensions: 5 x 6 7/8 in. (12.7 x 17.5 cm.)
Overall dimensions: 23 x 17 in. (58.4 x 43.2 cm.)
Very good condition

This drypoint study features Georg Kolbe’s favorite subject: the female nude. Known for his sculptures of the subject, Kolbe was encouraged in the 1920s to make drypoints of dancers and nudes in motion. The print here depicts a woman crawling on the ground, her thighs open as her hands are stretched forward. With rich, velvety lines that clearly show the burr of the plate, the image is imbued with a sense of movement and incandescence.

Executed circa 1924, this drypoint etching on cream laid paper is signed and numbered twenty from an edition of twenty. The plate measures 5 x 6 7/8 inches. In overall good condition with no evidence of tears or repairs.

Georg Kolbe (German, 1877-1947)

Widely regarded as the most successful German sculptor of the first half of the twentieth century, Georg Kolbe is known for his idealized nudes, whose poses and gestures are suggestive of modern dance. Kolbe trained as a painter and draughtsman, and was heavily influenced by Aristide Maillol and Auguste Rodin. His 1912 sculpture “Dancer” turned Kolbe into an overnight sensation after it was exhibited at the Berlin Secession. The early 1920s produced a more Expressionist style in his works, with elongated, stylized figures. By the mid-1920s, Kolbe had returned to a more naturalistic approach to the human figure. In addition to sculpture, the artist also made lithographs and drypoints. Many of Kolbe’s sculptures were destroyed during the bombing of Berlin in 1944. His works can be found in collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, with the largest collection at the Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin.