Georg Kolbe (1877-1947) was the most successful German sculptor of the first half of the twentieth century. From 1891 Kolbe studied drawing and painting in Dresden, Munich and at the Academie Julian, Paris. He began to work in sculpture during his subsequent two-year stay in Rome. Back in Germany, Kolbe became a member of the Berlin Secession represented by the renowned art dealer Paul Cassirer, now working exclusively as a sculptor. Around 1911/12 Kolbe discovered his own distinctive style. He became famous at that time, primarily through the idealised bronze sculpture ‚ "Tänzerin" (Dancer). Those sculptures created somewhat later display elements closer to Expressionism instead of the gently modelled forms. Following the interruption of this successful, early phase of his oeuvre by the First World War, Kolbe was granted the title of professor in 1918 and also became the chairman of the Freie Secession. In the 1920s his style changed once more. A particularly successful phase in his oeuvre now began, and the artist created numerous portraits and nudes in bronze. From 1927 onwards, following the tragic death of his wife, he created sculptures related to religious themes as well as monuments. With their powerful and muscular bodies, the works of the 1930s once more display a modification to his figural ideal. in 2006, one of his bronzes sold for US$1.3mm at Christies, London.