2914 - Arno Breker (1900, Elberfeld – 1991, Düsseldorf)

Arno Breker (1900, Elberfeld – 1991, Düsseldorf) "Eos." Original title Larger-than-life bronze, patinated in light gray-green or with a natural patina in shades of green and gray, 1941/1942. Signed “Arno Breker”; three-line foundry inscription “BILDGIESSER A(UGUST). BISCHOFF DÜSSELDORF.” Cast during the artist’s lifetime, 1950s/1960s (probably around 1955). Cast from the 1941/1942 plaster model, but with a different, round plinth instead of the original rectangular one. During World War II, “Eos” was most likely cast only once—namely for Reich Marshal Hermann Göring and his country estate, Carinhall—due to armaments restrictions and the associated ban on bronze casting. In 1990, this example of “Eos,” along with two other bronze figures, “Anmut” and “Schreitende,” was recovered from nearby Lake Groß Döllnsee by specialized divers. In 2009, all three statues were moved from the depot of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation in Potsdam to the hunting lodge in Groß Schönebeck. Even after 1945, only a few copies of this rare, monumental “Eos” statue were produced in a small limited edition under the artist’s supervision. The model is part of a series of large-scale figures (including “Eos,” “Wäger,” “Grace,” and “Psyche”) that Breker had been working on since 1937 and which were originally intended for the rotunda of the New Reich Chancellery in Berlin. For “Eos,” as with many other works from this period, the sculptor drew inspiration from ancient Greek Classical sculptures. This monumental bronze by Arno Breker depicts “Eos”—the Titaness and Greek goddess of dawn, sister of Helios (the sun) and Selene (the moon). The work is considered a representative example of Breker’s mature neoclassical sculptural art and was fully in line with Nazi artistic ideals. Breker depicts her as a tall, idealized female nude with gracefully raised arms; her pose evokes the spreading of the first morning light on the horizon and embodies themes such as renewal, awakening, and radiant beauty. The powerful yet elegant modeling reflects Breker’s characteristic neoclassical style: heroic proportions, a dynamic yet balanced posture, and a masterful command of anatomy and surface texture. In 1942, the sculptor exhibited the statue as a plaster model in the major Breker retrospective that opened on May 15 at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. This exhibition is now regarded as the most significant presentation of German art in Paris during the occupation of France from 1940 to 1944. The statue of “Eos” was one of 51 sculptural works by Breker and was among the 20 larger-than-life sculptures whose choice of subject matter unmistakably referenced antiquity. “Eos” was featured in major publications shortly after its creation in 1942, appeared as a postcard, and was also published as photographs by the Raumbild-Verlag. H. 234 cm; W. approx. 108 cm; plinth D. 65 cm. Lit.: Bruno Kroll: “The Breker Exhibition in Paris: The Triumph of Youth,” in “Die Kunst für alle,” Vol. 58, 1942–1943, No. 1, October 1942, pp. 6–18, ill. p. 15; Charles Despiau: “Arno Breker,” Paris: Flammarion 1942, p. 80; Volker G. Probst: “Arno Breker. 60 ans de sculpture,” Paris: Jacques Damase 1981, p. 111; Dominique Egret: “Arno Breker,” Tübingen 1996, also the catalog for the exhibition at the Breker Museum, Nörvenich, 1996/97, ill. 214–17; Gitta Ho: “Monumental Gestures in Occupied France,” in “helden. heroes. héros.,” E-Journal on the Culture of the Heroic, Special Issue 9 (2023), pp. 21–29. Provenance: Auction by Choppin de Janvry & Associés S.V.V., DROUOT-RICHELIEU, Paris, France, June 4, 2012, Lot 2, Cat. Ills. 6–7. Bronze with a grayish-green patina, 1941/42. Signed “Arno Breker”; inscribed by the foundry “BILDGIESSER A. BISCHOFF DÜSSELDORF.” One of a small edition of casts made during the artist’s lifetime after 1945, executed under the artist’s supervision in the 1950s or 1960s (probably circa 1955).