2021.196: Head of a Thinker
SculptureBronze bust of a man looking downwards in concentration. His eyes appear to be closed and his mouth is set in a stern, slim line. Many of his features are slender and narrow, especially his head which is uncommonly long with a large cranium. The man’s lengthy neck extends from broad, prominent shoulders. Stopping at the lower shoulder region, the man’s arms are largely absent, either intentionally or having broken off over time. The presence of the man’s left hand on his left pec, without a wrist or forearm, suggests the original existence of arms.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 2021.196
- People
-
Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German (Duisburg, Germany 1881 - 1919 Berlin, Germany)
- Title
- Head of a Thinker
- Other Titles
- Original Language Title: Kopf eines Denkers
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Work Type
- sculpture
- Date
- 1918, cast 1925-1926
- Culture
- German
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/370172
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Bronze
- Technique
- Cast
- Dimensions
- 62.2 × 58.4 × 30.5 cm (24 1/2 × 23 × 12 in.)
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- Anita Lehmbruck, commissioned 1925-1926; Kunstmuseum Duisburg (1927-1937); removed from the collection by the National Socialist (Nazi) authorities, 1937, sold; to Karl Buchholz, 1939; [Buchholz Gallery, New York], sold; to Arthur K. and Mariot F. Solomon, Cambridge (1940-2021), bequest; to the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2021.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Arthur K. and Mariot F. Solomon Collection
- Accession Year
- 2021
- Object Number
- 2021.196
- Division
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Contact
- am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Exhibition History
- Boston Collects Modern Art, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, 05/24/1964 - 06/14/1964
- 32Q: 1440 Secessionism: Munich, Vienna, Berlin (Expressionism), Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 03/13/2023 - 02/10/2025
- The Solomon Collection: Dürer to Degas and Beyond, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/24/2025 - 08/17/2025
Verification Level
This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu