Ernst Barlach. Facets of Love at the Edwin Scharff Museum
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Ernst Barlach and the Multifaceted Language of Love
The Edwin Scharff Museum in Neu-Ulm dedicates an intense special exhibition to Ernst Barlach, focusing on one of the most fundamental human experiences: love. From May 23 to October 18, 2026, a multifaceted art experience unfolds with sculptural and graphic works by the sculptor, draftsman, and author.
Between Closeness, Longing, and Compassion
Ernst Barlach understood love far beyond the relationship of a conventional couple. His art looks at temptation, yearning, unconditional love for one's neighbor, maternal love, and the ambivalence of transactional love. The exhibition makes visible how closely personal experience, societal observation, and a humanistic stance are intertwined in his work.
Sculpture and Graphics as an Expression of the Human
Barlach's artistic language moves between realism and expressionism. In his wooden sculptures, bronzes, drawings, and print graphics, people appear as vulnerable, searching, and internally strained figures. The reduced language of forms gives the bodies an intense presence: heavy volumes, concentrated gestures, and restrained movements create spaces for an intensive contemplation of the works.
A special example is the lithograph Couple in Love from the years 1917/18. The depiction of a woman and a man refers to closeness and mutual support without resolving the relationship into a clear narrative. This very openness is part of the aesthetic experience of Barlach's art: emotions appear not as decorative themes, but as existential forces.
A Humanistic Position of Modernity
Barlach is considered one of the significant German artists of modernity. His works reflect loneliness, the search for meaning, doubt, and the longing for a supportive community. After the experiences of World War I, he created numerous works of art reflecting sorrow and hardship, as well as pacifist memorials in Güstrow, Hamburg, Kiel, and Magdeburg.
The exhibition invites visitors to view Barlach's artistic direction in its historical context. His empathy for humanity, his engagement with societal upheavals, and his connection of sculpture, drawing, and literature give his work relevance to this day. The National Socialist persecution of his art is also part of this history: in 1937, hundreds of works were seized from public collections, and Barlach was subjected to an exhibition ban.
Exhibition Atmosphere and Cultural Education
In the art museum of the Edwin Scharff Museum, a concentrated atmosphere for aesthetic experience is created. The interplay of sculptural physicality and graphic line opens different access points to Barlach's visual world. Visitors encounter an art that begins quietly and resonates long after.
The museum visit combines art historical classification with personal discovery. A media guide, available for free loan, supports individual artwork contemplation. The museum is centrally located in Neu-Ulm, near the train station and the Ulm city center, and is accessible via barrier-free elevators.
Conclusion: Experiencing Love as an Existential Experience
Ernst Barlach. Facets of Love showcases an artist who translated human closeness, vulnerability, and responsibility into an unmistakable language of forms. The exhibition at the Edwin Scharff Museum promises a concentrated artistic experience between sculpture, graphics, expressionism, and humanistic modernity. Those who experience Barlach's works live uncover a surprising emotional intensity in their silent figures and a lasting invitation for personal reflection.
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- Website: https://edwinscharffmuseum.de/exhibition/ernstbarlach/
