Bildnisbüste Frau Adèle Falk

Wilhelm Lehmbruck’s portrait bust shows Adèle Falk (1889–1972), the wife of the Mannheim-based manufacturer and art collector Sally Falk (1888–1962). Thanks to a generous donation from Falk, the Kunsthalle came into possession of important works by Lehmbruck, Ernesto de Fiori (1884–1945), Georg Kolbe (1877–1947), and Edwin Scharff (1887–1955) in the years 1917 to 1921.

Falk’s endowment formed the core of the Kunsthalle’s important sculpture collection, enriching it with such Lehmbruck masterpieces as »Tall Standing Woman« (1910) and the »Torso of the Tall Contemplative Woman« (1913–14). The friendly relationship that existed between the sculptor and his collector also resulted in this portrait bust.

Eyewitnesses remarked of Adèle Falk that she was incredibly chic, with the German painter George Grosz (1893–1959) comparing her to a “rare bird of paradise.” The National Socialists confiscated numerous works from Falk’s collection. The Jewish collector couple survived World War II and later settled in San Remo in Italy.