(Waldheim 1877 – 1947 Berlin)
Kolbe initially studied painting in Dresden, Munich, and Paris, before turning to sculpture in Rome around 1900. He moved to Berlin in 1904, where he made his breakthrough in 1912 with his sculpture “Dancer.” Kolbe influenced the “expressive sculpture” of the period before World War I with his restrained, moving nude figures and soon became one of the most successful German sculptors. During the Nazi era, his works were accepted, although he was not one of the regime’s favorites.