Ernst Kirchner Biography

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-century art. He volunteered for army service in the First World War, but soon suffered a breakdown and was discharged. His work was branded as "degenerate" by the Nazis in 1933, and in 1937 more than 600 of his works were sold or destroyed.

Kirchner was born in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria. His parents were of Prussian descent and his mother was a descendant of the Huguenots, a fact to which Kirchner often referred.

Although Kirchner's parents encouraged his artistic career, they also wanted him to complete his formal education so in 1901, he began studying architecture at the Königliche Technische Hochschule of Dresden (now TU Dresden). The institution provided a wide range of studies in addition to architecture, such as freehand drawing, perspective drawing and the historical study of art.

In 1905, Kirchner, along with Fritz Bleyl, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Erich Heckel, founded the artists group Die Brücke ("The Bridge"). From then on, he committed himself to art. The group aimed to eschew the prevalent traditional academic style and find a new mode of artistic expression, which would form a bridge (hence the name) between the past and the present. They responded both to past artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Matthias Grünewald and Lucas Cranach the Elder, as well as contemporary international avant-garde movements. As part of the affirmation of their national heritage, they revived older media, particularly woodcut prints.

Kirchner's studio became a venue which overthrew social conventions to allow casual love-making and frequent nudity. Group life-drawing sessions took place using models from the social circle, rather than professionals, and choosing quarter-hour poses to encourage spontaneity.

At the onset of the First World War in September 1914, Kirchner volunteered for military service but he was later discharged after a mental breakdown. Kirchner continued to work through 1919 and 1920 and his health rapidly improved. His reputation grew with several exhibitions in Germany and Switzerland in 1920. 

In 1930, Kirchner began to experience health problems due to smoking and in 1931, his life partner Erna had to undergo surgery in Berlin due to a suspected growth. In 1931, he was made a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin. As the Nazi party took power in Germany in 1933, it became impossible for Kirchner to sell his paintings. In 1937, he was forced to resign from the Prussian Academy of Arts. 

Throughout 1936 and 1937, Kirchner began to experience health problems and was prescribed Ovaltine and Eukodal by his doctors. In 1937, the Degenerate Art Exhibition took place in Germany; a total of 639 works by Kirchner were taken out of museums and 25 were displayed in the exhibition. The Academy of Arts in Berlin expelled Kirchner as a member. Kirchner continued to work and organised a major exhibit in Basel, which received mixed reviews.

Throughout 1938, Kirchner became increasingly upset with the situation in Germany. After Austria was annexed by Germany in the Anschluss, Kirchner became disturbed by the idea that Germany might invade Switzerland. On 15 June 1938, Kirchner took his own life by gunshot in front of his home in Frauenkirch, however, there are doubts about his death being a suicide. Three days later, Kirchner was laid to rest in the Waldfriedhof cemetery. Erna continued to live in the house until her death in 1945.