Hector-Bau > Ebene 2 > Kubus 5
Intro
The »Beaten Wrestler« resembles a wounded giant. His heavy body rests on a plinth; torso-like, his legs are mutilated, and his arms—the wrestler’s “tools of combat”—are completely missing, while the disproportionately small head is covered in grooves which resemble injuries. Nevertheless, even though these wounds cannot be overlooked, the figure possesses a powerful presence, appearing simultaneously weak and strong. The »Beaten Wrestler« is the largest sculpture by the Mannheim-born artist Gustav Seitz, and is considered one of his major works. Prepared in a series of drawings, Seitz established its frontal orientation at an early stage. Employing a classical formal language in his early works, which were influenced by his teacher Wilhelm Gerstel (1879–1963) and the French sculptor Aristide Maillol (1861–1944), this sculpture marks a transition in Seitz’s oeuvre. The deformation of the body impressively bears witness to human suffering, a major theme of figurative sculpture after World War II. Seitz shows us a fighter, but not as a heroic victor, emphasizing instead the scarred individual.
On loan from the Gustav Seitz Foundation Hamburg since 1988