Head of a Woman

1913

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Sculptor, German, 1880 - 1938

Media Options

Skip thumbnail navigation
Back to thumbnail navigation
This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    carved and painted oak

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall with base: 50.8 x 32.7 x 31.27 cm (20 x 12 7/8 x 12 5/16 in.)
    overall without base: 35.56 x 14.92 x 16.03 cm (14 x 5 7/8 x 6 5/16 in.)
    base: 15.2 x 17.8 x 15.2 cm (6 x 7 x 6 in.)

  • Accession

    2002.143.1

More About this Artwork

Article:  What is German Expressionism? 8 Things to Know

This early 20th century art movement sought to convey the intensity of modern life.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1880-1938]; his estate; (Galerie Roman Norbert Ketterer, Campione d'Italia, Switzerland); (Galleria Henze, Campione d'Italia); purchased c. 1979 by Robert Gore Rifkind, Beverly Hills;[1] (sale, Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg, New York, 4 November 2002, no. 15, bought in); purchased 18 December 2002 by NGA.
[1] Provenance as given in the 2002 sale catalogue.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1971

  • Ausstellung Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, Graphik, Galerie Roman Norbert Ketterer, Campione d'Italia, Switzerland, 1971, no. 30, repro.

1978

  • Moderne Kunst 18, Galleria Henze, Campione d'Italia, Switzerland, 1978, no. 78, repro.

1979

  • Ernst Ludwig Kirchner 1880-1938, Nationalgalerie, Berlin; Haus der Kunst, Munich; Museum Ludwig in der Kunsthalle, Cologne; Kunsthaus, Zurich, 1979-1980, no. 147, repro. (shown only in Berlin).

1981

  • Gauguin to Moore: Primitivism in Modern Sculpture, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1981-1982, no. 88, repro.

1983

  • German Expressionist Sculpture, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Josef-Haubrich Kunsthalle, Cologne, 1983-1984, no. 67, repro. and on cover.

1985

  • German Art in the 20th Century, Painting and Sculpture 1905-1985, Royal Academy of Arts, London; Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, 1985-1986, no. 13, repro.

1992

  • Figures du Moderne, 1905-1914: Dresden, Munich, Berlin: L'Expressionnisme en Allemagne, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 1992-1993, no. 59, repro.

1999

  • Kunstwelten im Dialog: Von Gauguin zur Globalen Gegenwart, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, 1999-2000, no. 210, pl. 41.

2003

  • Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938 [London title: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: The Dresden and Berlin Years], National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2003, no. 107, as Erna, repro.

2005

  • Brüke: The birth of German Expressionism (Brüke: El naixement de l'expressionisme alemany), Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid; Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona; Berlinische Galerie, 2005-2006, no. 105, repro.

2009

  • Brücke: The Birth of Expressionism in Dresden and Berlin, 1905-1913, Neue Galerie, New York, 2009, no. 48, repro.

2018

  • German Expressionism: E.L. Kirchner's Imaginary Travels, Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, 2018-2019, pl. 87

Bibliography

1925

  • Marsalle, Louis de [pseudonym of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner]. "Über die Plastischen Arbeiten von E.L. Kirchner." Der Cicerone 17 (1925): 692-701, repro. 694.

1926

  • Grohmann, Will. Das Werk Ernst Ludwig Kirchners. Munich, 1926: 57, pl. 31.

1981

  • Mato, D. "Gauguin to Moore: Primitivism in Modern Sculpture." Arts Magazine 13 (1981-1982): 20, repro.

1984

  • Kuspit, Donald B. "An Appeal for Empathy." Art in America (November 1984): 122, repro.

1991

  • Lloyd, Jill. German Expressionism, Primitivism and Modernity. New Haven and London, 1991: 78-79, fig. 102.

Wikidata ID

Q63861759

You may be interested in

Loading Results