Bildnisbüste Sally Falk

Between 1917 and 1921 the Kunsthalle came into possession of important works by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Ernesto de Fiori (1884–1945), Georg Kolbe (1877–1947), and Edwin Scharff (1887–1955) through the Mannheim-based collector Sally Falk (1888–1962). His endowment not only formed the core of the Kunsthalle’s sculpture collection, but also enriched it with major modernist works at a time when the sculptors were barely established.

As a cotton manufacturer, Falk reaped large profits during World War I, which he soon used to promote various artists. He was on friendly terms with Wilhelm Lehmbruck and later bequeathed a number of the sculptor’s works to the Kunsthalle. The »Portrait Bust« probably originates from a commission from 1916 which included the bust of Falk’s wife, Adèle (1889–1972). Both sculptures are considered masterpieces in which the individual features of the models are secondary to a deeply felt inner expression. They reflect the modernity which the National Socialists fought to suppress with their confiscations (1937), which also inflicted great losses on Falk’s collection.