Ernst Barlach. Facets of Love at the Edwin Scharff Museum Neu-Ulm
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Ernst Barlach and the Moving Facets of Love
The Edwin Scharff Museum in Neu-Ulm is dedicating a special exhibition to Ernst Barlach, making love visible as a multi-layered human experience. From May 23 to October 18, 2026, visitors will encounter plastic and graphic works by one of the significant German sculptors, draftsmen, and authors of modernity.
Love between Closeness, Longing, and Loss
Ernst Barlach understood love far beyond the portrayal of a conventional couple. His art revolves around temptation, longing, unconditional love for one’s neighbor, motherly love, grief, and the fragile closeness between people. The exhibition leads through these emotional tensions and presents Barlach as a sensitive observer of human feelings.
sculpture, drawing, and poetic image worlds
In the examination of works, powerful plastic forms meet graphic works of great inner concentration. Figures such as the lovers or the go-between refer to different manifestations of desire, dependence, and human dignity. Barlach's reduced form language grants his figures a silent presence that conveys between expressionism, spirituality, and psychological observation.
A Dialogue between Art and Literature
The curated presentation connects selected exhibits with poetic texts. This creates a dialogue between language and sculpture, between visual form and inner movement. Longing, empathy, and authenticity do not appear as abstract concepts but as sensuously experiential themes of the exhibition.
Ernst Barlach in the Art Historical Context
Barlach is considered one of the defining artists of classical modernism. His work includes wood and bronze sculptures, drawings, print graphics, and literary works. After the experiences of World War I, he developed an art that shows humanity in its vulnerability, solitude, and dignity. The exhibition at the Edwin Scharff Museum particularly illustrates this attitude based on the theme of love.
Encounters with Edwin Scharff
Isolated comparisons with works by Edwin Scharff open an exciting view of the similarities and differences between two contemporaries. This makes the exhibition a historical encounter in art, where different ideas of body, feeling, and human figure are reflected. The curator is Franziska Hell, M.A., from the Ernst Barlach Museums Güstrow; the presentation was created in cooperation with these museums.
Art Experience at the Edwin Scharff Museum
The exhibition atmosphere thrives on the concentrated encounter with material, contour, and spatial effect. Especially in Barlach's quiet figures unfolds an aesthetic experience that does not rely on spectacular effects. The museum invites visitors to re-experience closeness, loss, and compassion through the examination of the works.
Conclusion: An Exhibition about the Power of Human Connection
Ernst Barlach. Facets of Love opens a touching and art historically grounded access to a central theme of his work. Those who wish to experience sculpture, drawing, literature, and cultural education in a concentrated presentation will find a compelling art experience at the Edwin Scharff Museum. A visit is particularly worthwhile for everyone who wants to not only observe art, but experience it as an encounter with human depth.
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