Singing Man

About the Artwork

One of the most celebrated sculptors of the Expressionist movement in Germany, Barlach first began exploring ways to convey inner feeling through depictions of the human body around 1906. As this singing man pulls his knee toward his body, his closed eyes and open mouth suggest deep concentration. A staunch opponent of the Nazis, Barlach was declared a “degenerate artist” and forbidden to teach or exhibit in Germany.

Inscriptions

Signed on support under right foot: "E. Barlach"

Provenance

1937: (Buchholz Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1937–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

Sculpture of Our Time. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5-December 5, 1937). Expressionism and Related Movements. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 26-February 28, 1939). Rouault: Retrospective Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 28-March 15, 1953). Ernst Barlach. Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, Lincoln, NE (organizer) (October 1, 1955-May 31, 1956). Art: The International Language. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 2-November 4, 1956). Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Beijing World Art Museum (May 26-August 27, 2006); Mori Art Center (September 16-November 26, 2006); Seoul Art Center, South Korea (December 22, 2006-March 28, 2007); Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, South Korea (April 7-May 20, 2007); Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (June 9-September 16, 2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 15-June 1, 2008); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (June 22-September 21, 2008); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 12, 2008-January 18, 2009).

Quick Overview

Artist: Ernst Barlach (German, 1870–1938)
Date: 1928
Medium: bronze
Dimensions: Overall: 49.8 x 53.3 x 36.8 cm (19 5/8 x 21 x 14 1/2 in.)
Type: Sculpture
Classification: Sculpture
Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: Hinman B. Hurlbut Collection
Accession no.: 1937.3204

More by Ernst Barlach in museum collections

Die Bettlerin
Ernst Barlach
1906 · Sculpture
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of ArtAT-00010900

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.