Fake Arno Breker Sculpture on Ebay Germany

[Robert666]

I thought I would share a fake Arno Breker sculpture that is currently on sale at Ebay Germany:

Konvolut eines Startrichters-Olympiade Berlin 1936 -SKULPTUR ARNO BREKER | eBay

I have seen similar sculptures being sold, particularly of small versions of “Army” (“Swordbearer”) and “Party” (“Torchbearer”). Strangely, they often seem to have been cast in a silvery metal and not so often in bronze.
This particular sculpture of a weightlifter is particularly problematic insofar as it is being sold with other memorabilia from the 1936 Berlin Olympics that may be genuine. These ephemera frame this sculpture in an air of authenticity.

Also problematic is that the sculpture appears to have been cast with a Breker signature. Unless one is buying a Remington, a Barlach, or the sculpture of some very popular artist, when one sees the signature of the artist in the bronze casting, the bronze is usually genuine. In Breker’s case, we have an unusual set of circumstances; while the art world as a whole likes Breker about as much as old hamburger sitting in the hot sun for three days, militaria collectors will pay handsomely for pieces that are cast during the Third Reich era.

Here are two things to look for in a fake:

1. Silver metal being used in the casting. While there is a version of Young Europe being sold on Ebay Germany right now that may be genuine, it is an unusual piece. As a good rule of thumb, Breker did not sculpt for any other medium outside of bronze, stone, resin (for later works), and occasionally terra cotta. There are no known silver-plated castings.




2. Breker did not use a blackening agent to highlight features in his works, or to “antique” the figure. The weightlifter and similar fantasy pieces tend to use a generous amount of a blackening agent to bring out highlights in the figure. If features are highlighted in a genuine Breker bronze, it is done through the application of bronze patina. Take a look at the photos of the genuine copy of Verliebtes Mädchen (“Woman In Love”) which was cast by the Venturi foundry (same foundry that cast Dali’s works). The highlighting of features is done gently with the use of bronze patina which is applied over the entire sculpture.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thanks Robert.

The female figure is very nice indeed.

Cheers, Ade.

[Fred Green]

Hello Robert,

Although I do not collectthird reich art work I am very glad to see you here. You post is very helpful for the novice collector that might think that he is getting a real "Breker". The small things that you included in your thread about the mediums that Breker used gives me a much better insight when I look at these pieces now. Thanks.

Fred

[Wagriff]

Thanks Robert.

The female figure is very nice indeed.

Cheers, Ade.

Better not let Lez read this thread, Ade...lol

[Robert666]

Thanks Ade and Fred!

Breker is my favorite overall of the artists that worked during the Third Reich in Germany. Over the several decades that he worked, his creations were diverse and prolific. It's hard to just look at any given piece and determine just by style if it is a work that he did.

If there are any Breker fans out there in Germany, there is currently a group showing of art at Museum Marta in Herford which includes a room with 50 of Breker's large works crammed together in an unsympathetic manner. (Ironically, Breker gets the same treatment today that avant guarde artists received in the 1930s during the Entartete Kunst exhibition. Even though we teach history in schools, it seems at times that its lessons are lost on society.)



I look forward to providing more information on collecting and appreciating art from the Third Reich period in the future.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Robert, that is an exhibition I would like to see. Thanks for the heads up.

Hi William, that made me smile! Lez is cool with my liking of the female form so long as they are made of bronze. We have a 1930's style nude figure in the garden in the form of a fountain.

Cheers, Ade.