Head of a Woman
Medium
carved and painted oak
Dimensions
overall with base: 50.8 x 32.7 x 31.27 cm (20 x 12 7/8 x 12 5/16 in.) overall without base: 35.56 x 14.92 x 16.03 cm (14 x 5 7/8 x 6 5/16 in.) base: 15.2 x 17.8 x 15.2 cm (6 x 7 x 6 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2002.143.1
Art Historical Context
**Head of a Woman**, carved and painted oak by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in 1913, captures raw emotional intensity of German Expressionism. Standing about 20 inches tall with its base, this striking sculpture from the National Gallery of Art collection features a woman's head with bold angular features—exagger eyes, a sharp nose, and asymmetrical contours—that evoke inner turmoil and vitality. Kirchner, a founding member of the revolutionary Die Brücke group, inspiration from African and Oceanic art, rejecting classical ideals for a primal, direct approach. Created during Kirchner's Berlin years ...
About the Artist
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1880–1938
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was born on May 6, 1880, in Aschaffenburg, Germany, to parents Ernst and Maria Kirchner, part of a family of Prussian descent that frequently relocated due to his father's career as a chemical technician. After early schooling in various towns, he studied architecture at the Königliche Technische Hochschule (Technical University) in Dresden from 1901 to 1905, taking courses i...