Eberlein, Gustav (1847-1926)

Eberlein, Gustav

SCULPTOR, PAINTER, POET (GERMANY)

BORN 14 Jul 1847, Spiekershausen, Hessen (near Hannoverisch-Münden) - DIED 5 Feb 1926, Berlin
GRAVE LOCATION Berlin: Alter St. Matthäus Friedhof, Grossgörschenstrasse 12 (Q-o-49 (Ehrengrab))

Gustav Eberlein was the son of a tax inspector. The family moved to Hannoverisch-Münden when he was eight years old and this became his hometown. In 1866 he entered the art school in Nuremberg and in 1869 he continued his studies in Berlin. He also studied in Rome and after his return he was supported by Martin Gropius.

In 1873 he married Helene von Frankenberg und Ludwigsdorf (b.1853). He divorced Helene in 1891 and married Marie von Hertzberg (b.1862) in 1893, but this marriage ended in divorce as well. He experienced difficulties in his career because he was a public supporter of peace and disarmament, resulting in the loss of public commissions.

For emperor Wilhelm II he created the Goethe statue that was a gift to the City of Rome in 1902. It is at the park of the Villa Borghese. Between 1901 and 1903 he created the monument for Richard Wagner that is the Tiergarten in Berlin. After the First World War he was criticized for creating a statue Karl Marx and and at the same time another of Wilhelm II. Despite his huge output he was almost forgotten towards the end of his life. He died in 1926 in Berlin.

Many of his works in bronze were melted during the Second World War, including his statues of Wilhelm I in several cities and the Bismarck monument in Krefeld.

Related persons
• made a sculpture of Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
• made a sculpture of Lortzing, Albert
• made a sculpture of Wagner, Richard
• made a sculpture of Wilhelm I, emperor of Germany

Events

Images
The grave of Gustav Eberlein at the Alter St. Matthäus Friedhof, Berlin. Picture by Androom (28 Aug 2008)	Statue of Richard Wagner at the Tiergarten, Berlin. Picture by Androom (26 Aug 2013)