Georg Wrba (3 January 1872 – 9 January 1939) was a German sculptor and graphic artist. He created some 3,000–4,000 works, including as a collaborator of the

Zwinger A () is an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the medieval and early modern periods to improve the defence of castles and town walls. The term is usually left untranslated, ...

workshop.

Life

Wrba was born in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

in 1872, the son of a smith. His younger brother Max Wrba became an architect in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. Wrba began his training with Jakob Bradl the Elder and his son Jakob Bradl the Younger. From 1891 to 1896, he studied at the

Akademie der Bildenden Künste München The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

under

Syrius Eberle Syrius Eberle (9 December 1844 – 12 April 1903) was a German sculptor and art professor. Biography Eberle was born in Pfronten, Allgäu, the son of a carpenter.Akademie der Bildenden Künste München''Syrius Eberle, 02256, zweites Matri ...

. After some time spent in Italy (with Egon Rheinberger), a trip made possible by a travel award from

Prince Regent Luitpold Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Ludwig, Prince Regent of Bavaria (12 March 1821 – 12 December 1912), was the ''de facto'' ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, as regent for his nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto. His regency arose due to his n ...

, he settled in Munich as an independent sculptor in 1897 and became director of the city's school of sculpture. In 1906 and 1907, he worked in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, where he created sculptures for buildings for the architects Ludwig Hoffmann and

Alfred Messel Alfred Messel (22 July 1853 – 24 March 1909) was a German architect at the turning point to the 20th century, creating a new style for buildings which bridged the transition from historicism to modernism. Messel was able to combine the structure ...

. Wrba then moved to Dresden, where from 1907 to 1930 he taught at the

Dresden Academy of Fine Arts The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (German language, German ''Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden''), often abbreviated HfBK Dresden or simply HfBK, is a vocational university of visual arts located in Dresden, Germany. The present institutio ...

. He brought the Dresden school of sculpture into contact with the reforming ideas of the

Deutscher Werkbund The Deutscher Werkbund (; ) is a German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists established in 1907. The ''Werkbund'' became an important element in the development of modern architecture and industrial design, parti ...

and was a founding member of the Dresden Artists' Association, known as "Die Zunft" ("The Guild"). The basic aim of the "Werkbund", and also of "Die Zunft", was to achieve a collaboration between and integration of various forms of art, rejecting ornamentation for its own sake: painting and sculpture were to form integral parts of architecture. In Dresden he made, among many other works, the Marie Gey Fountain near the

Dresden Hauptbahnhof Dresden Hauptbahnhof ("main station", abbreviated Dresden Hbf) is the largest passenger station in the Saxon capital of Dresden. In 1898, it replaced the ''Böhmischen Bahnhof'' ("Bohemian station") of the former Saxon-Bohemian State Railway ('' ...

in the ''Südvorstadt'', which was donated by a Dr. Heinze for his wife, a student at the Kunstakademie, who had died young. In 1910 Wrba agreed a contract for the restoration and completion of the missing parts of the

, for which he directed the work of 53 sculptors from 1911 to 1933, and himself created many groups of figures modelled from the life. Wrba died on 9 January 1939 in Dresden, where a street is named after him. He is buried in the

Munich Waldfriedhof The Munich Waldfriedhof is one of 29 cemeteries of Munich in Bavaria, Germany. It is one of the largest and most famous burial sites of the city, known for its park-like design and tombs of notable personalities. The Waldfriedhof is considered th ...

Selected works

Georg Wrba's works principally comprise sculptures for buildings and fountains, and small-scale figures. * 1899: Seal Fountain (''Seehund-Brunnen'') (bronze), Berlin, in the inner courtyard of the Rudolf Virchow Clinic * 1899: sculptural decoration on the fountain of the Bismarck Tower (''Bismarckturm'') on the

Starnberger See Lake Starnberg, or ''Starnberger See'' ) — called Lake Würm or ''Würmsee'' until 1962 — is Germany's second-largest body of fresh water, having great depth, and fifth-largest Lake, lake by area. It and its surroundings lie in three differen ...

* c. 1900: figures and carvings in St. Maximilian's Church, Munich * 1900: ''Diana auf der Hirschkuh'' ("Diana on a Doe"),

Kunsthalle Bremen The Kunsthalle Bremen is an art museum in Bremen, Germany. It is located close to the Bremen Old Town on the "Culture Mile" (). The Kunsthalle was built in 1849, enlarged in 1902 by architect Eduard Gildemeister, and expanded several more times, ...

* 1900: ''Europa auf dem Stier'' ("Europa on the Bull"), Kunsthalle Bremen * 1902: Warriors' Fountain (''Kriegerbrunnen'') in

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was ...

* 1902: façade decoration on the extension building of the

* 1905: St. Mang Fountain in

Kempten Kempten (; ) is the largest town of Allgäu, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. The population was about 68,000 in 2016. The area was possibly settled originally by Celts, but was later taken over by the Romans, who called the town ''Cambodunum''. K ...

* 1905: marble bust of

Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Ludwig, Prince Regent of Bavaria (12 March 1821 – 12 December 1912), was the ''de facto'' ruler of Kingdom of Bavaria, Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, as regent for his nephews, Ludwig II of Bavaria, King Ludwig II and O ...

* 1906: equestrian statue of Otto I von Wittelsbach, Wittelsbach Bridge, München * 1906: Chicken Fountain (''Hennebrunnen'') in

Aschersleben Aschersleben () is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximately 22 km east of Quedlinburg, and 45 km northwest of Halle (Saale). Geography Aschersleben lies near the confluence of the ...

* 1906–1908: putti for the Villa Wollner in Dresden * 1906–1911: contributions to the decorative building sculptures on the Altes Stadthaus in Berlin, including "Allegories of the Civic Virtues" and the decor of the banqueting hall (''Bärensaal'' – "Bears' Hall") * 1907: allegorical bronze group on top of the

Charlottenburg Gate Charlottenburg Gate () with Charlottenburg Bridge (''Charlottenburger Brücke'') is a Neo-Baroque structure in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. Erected in 1907 at the behest of the then independent City of Charlottenburg, it was meant ...

by the Charlottenburg Bridge, Berlin (melted down) * 1907: two marble portals with allegories in the entrance hall of the

Kaufhaus des Westens The , abbreviated to KaDeWe, is a Thai owned department store in Berlin, Germany. With over of retail space and more than 380,000 articles available, it is the second-largest department store in Europe after Harrods in London. It attracts 40,000 ...

in Berlin * 1907: portraits of Georg Treu, Hans Erlwein,

Otto Gussmann Otto Friedrich Gussmann (22 May 1869, Wachbach, Main-Tauber-Kreis – 27 July 1926, Dresden) was a German decorative artist, designer, and art professor. Biography His father was a pastor. After completing secondary school, he began an appre ...

, Cornelius Gurlitt, Fritz Schumacher,

Martin Dülfer Martin Dülfer (1 January 1859 in Breslau – 21 December 1942 in Dresden) was a German architect and professor; best known for designing theatres in the Historical and Art-Nouveau styles. Life and work His father, Carl Dülfer, was a publish ...

* 1908: altar figure of "The Good Shepherd" in the Church of the Reconciliation, Dresden * 1909: Bismarck Fountain on the market place in

Arnstadt Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera (river), Gera about south of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Arnstadt is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia, and has a well-preserved historic centre with a partially ...

* 1910: group of "Bacchus on a Drunken Donkey" and two sitting bronze lions with shields on the east side, and the Hietzig Fountain on the west side, of the Neues Rathaus in Dresden * 1910: figure of

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

on the Marie Gey Fountain in the Friedrich-List-Platz in Dresden * 1910: relief of "Siegfried's Entrance into Worms" on the Cornelianum in Worms * 1910: bronze lions in front of the Neues Rathaus in Dresden * 1911: Rathaus Fountain at the Neues Rathaus in Dresden * 1912/1913: contributions to the Märchenbrunnen in the

Volkspark Friedrichshain Volkspark Friedrichshain () is a large urban park on the border of the :Localities of Berlin, Berlin neighborhoods of Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg. The oldest public park in Berlin, at 52 hectares, it is also the fourth-largest, after Berlin ...

Friedrichshain Friedrichshain () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. From its creation in 1920 until 2001, it was a freestanding Boroughs of Berlin, city borough. Formerly part of East Berlin, it is adjace ...

, Berlin * 1911–1933: artistic director of the restoration works on the

, Dresden * 1917: "Large Bathing Figures" (''Große Badende'') on a mussel shell (bronze) for a country house in

Klein Flottbek Klein Flottbek (''Small Flottbek'') is a sub-urban district and neighbourhood in the quarters of Nienstedten, Othmarschen and Osdorf, located in the Altona borough of Hamburg, Germany. Unlike neighbouring Groß Flottbek, the former municipality ...

owned by

Max Emden Max James Emden (28 October 1874 – 26 June 1940) was a German-born Swiss businessman, art collector, heir and ''Wiktionary:bon vivant, bon vivant''. He was the owner of the Brissago Islands on Lake Maggiore from 1926 until his death. Emden pr ...

; since 1928 on the Roman-style bathing pool of the palazzo of Max Emden on the Brissago Islands on

Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake and its shoreline are divided be ...

, Switzerland * 1911: bronze bust of Peter von Klemperer * 1912: sculptural decorations on the Erker, the doorways and the fountain in the courtyard of the ''Rappolthaus'' in Hamburg * 1918: Diana on a Doe, Stadtpark Hamburg * 1918: Large Bathing Figures (''Große Badende''),

* 1918: portrait bust of

Max Klinger Max Klinger (18 February 1857 – 5 July 1920) was a German artist who produced significant work in painting, sculpture, prints and graphics, as well as writing a treatise articulating his ideas on art and the role of graphic arts and printmakin ...

* 1921: statuette "Longing of Love" (''Liebessehnsucht''), Gera Art Gallery * 1922: bronze bust of Carl Zeiß * 1922: Europa Fountain on the Königsheimplatz in Dresden * 1922: statuette "Naked Dancer" (''Nackte Tänzerin''), Bleichert Collection, Leipzig * 1922: bronze bust of

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of Naturalism (literature), literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into h ...

* 1922: "Small Sitting Figure arranging her Hair" (''Kleine Sitzende, Haar ordnend'') * 1923: bronze bust of Alfred Tiedemann * 1924: "The Kiss" (''Der Kuss''), in private ownership * 1925–1930: monument to the fallen of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in the old graveyard in

Wurzen Wurzen () is a town in the district Leipzig (district), Leipzig Land (voting) and Muldental (number plates), in Saxony, Germany. It is situated next to the river Mulde, here crossed by two bridges, 25 km east of Leipzig, by rail N.E. of Leipzig L ...

, with Oswin Hempel and

Arthur Lange Arthur Lange (April 16, 1889 – December 7, 1956) was a United States bandleader and Tin Pan Alley composer of popular music. He composed music for over 120 films, including '' Grand Canary'' and '' Woman on the Run''. Lange shared an Oscar nom ...

(1875–1929) * 1926: Mönckeberg Fountain in Hamburg (WV 273); construction of the fountain (to designs made in collaboration with the architect Fritz Schumacher) 1914–1920; completion of the side bronze figures 1926 (badly damaged in 1944; the lion was reconstructed by the Hamburg sculptor Philipp Harth in 1965)Bildarchiv Hamburg, Möckebergbrunnen
/ref> * 1927: "Contemplating Figure" (''Die Sinnende''), in private ownership * 1927: group of figures "Widow with two Children" (''Witwe mit zwei Kindern'') for the war memorial in

Radebeul Radebeul (; ) is a town (''große Kreisstadt'') in the Elbe valley in the district of Meißen (district), Meißen in Saxony, Germany, a suburb of Dresden. It is well known for its viticulture, a Karl May Museum, museum dedicated to writer Karl ...

* 1928: "Runner" (''Läufer''), in private ownership * 1929: "Death the Cutter" (''Der Schnitter Tod'') for the crematorium in Forst * 1929: market fountain in

Rochlitz Rochlitz (; , ) is a major district town (Große Kreisstadt) in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. Rochlitz is the head of the "municipal partnership Rochlitz" (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Rochlitz) with its other members being the mu ...

* 1930/1934: gravestones for Bruno Steglich and the Wiede family in the graveyard of Trebsen * 1932: large group of architectural sculpture inside the cathedral (Dom) in

File:Hh-stadtpark-pferdmann.jpg,

Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...

Centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...

(1912) in the

Hamburg Stadtpark Hamburg Stadtpark (Hamburger Stadtpark) is a large urban park in the district of Winterhude, in the Hamburg borough of Hamburg-Nord. Spanning an area of , it is the second-largest park in the city after Altona Volkspark. The Stadtpark is regard ...

File:Stierbrunnen schlachthof ostragehege.jpg, Bull Fountain in front of the former Dresden Abattoir, Grosses Ostragehege File:Seitliches Marmorportal in der KaDeWe-Eingangshalle 1908.jpg, Side marble doorway in the entrance hall of the

(KaDeWe), 1908 File:Maerchenbrunnen Berlin Friedrichshain Herme.jpg, Herm near the Märchenbrunnen in the

, Berlin File:Dresden, fountain by the townhall - d.jpg, City Hall Fountain, Neues Rathaus, Dresden, 1911 File:Dresden Rathaus Frontseite 15.jpg, Dresden Neues Rathaus, 1910 File:Dresden Rathaus Frontseite 5.jpg, Dresden Neues Rathaus File:Rathausbrunnen Leipzig Gesamtansicht.jpg, City Hall Fountain, Neues Rathaus, Burgplatz, Leipzig, 1908 File:Assenhausen, Brunnenhaus am Bismarckturm.jpg, Fountain shelter, Bismarck Tower in

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * General Berg (disambiguation) * Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...

, 1899 File:Brunnenanlage in Dresden - Wrba - Europabrunnen - Bild 001.jpg, Europabrunnen - Dresden

External links

*
article on Georg Wrba in ''Stadtwiki Dresden''

* ttps://archive.today/20130210124355/http://www.bildhauerei-in-berlin.de/_html/_katalog/kuenstler-1625.html www.bildhauerei-in-berlin.de: Information on five works by Wrba in Berlin
Gunther Trentzsch: ''Brunnen in Dresden – eine Auswahl''

Historical photographs of Max Emden's villa on the Brissago Islands, Lake Maggiore; sculpture of "Bathing Woman" (''Die Badende'') at the Bagno Romano

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrba, Georg Academic staff of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts Artists from Munich 1872 births 1939 deaths 19th-century German sculptors German male sculptors 20th-century German sculptors 20th-century German male artists

Life

Selected works

Further reading

External links

Notes and references