Girl With Braids
1950
Bronze
Gerhard Marcks
German, b. Berlin, 1889-1981
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966
Marcks, primarily recognized as a sculptor, was also a talented ceramicist and designer. The Nazis banned his work during World War II. The many pieces he had stored in his studio were destroyed in bombing raids, and those he had secretly hidden were plundered and ruined. After the war, he was commissioned to create numerous memorials and public monuments across Germany. In his ceramics and woodcuts, his sculptural techniques are recognizable in the classic figures and crisp lines. Girl With Braids exemplifies Marcks’ ability to create a clean, modern look in the face and form while conveying a complex emotional statement.