Column & Stripe

The Asian Art Society

The Contemporary Art Society

The Friends of African and African American Art

The Friends of Photography

The Musart Society

The Textile Art Alliance

Africa & Byzantium

Fairy Tales and Fables: Illustration and Storytelling in Art

Monet in Focus

Carpets and Canopies in Mughal India

Conservation Images

From Dreaming to Hiking: Korean Landscape Paintings

Jewish Artists

Black American Artists

Female Artists

LGBTQ+ Artists after 1900

Asian American Artists

Made under Age 30

Recent Acquisitions

Has "Did You Know?"

Liturgical Textiles from Late Medieval Germany

On Loan

Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting

To the River’s South in Japanese Painting

Ancient Andean Textiles

Outdoor Sculptures

Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Gifts

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880–1938)

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Locked in a dangerous embrace, beefy wrestlers writhe on a brightly colored mat. Famous for his scenes of urban life, Kirchner uses loose brushstrokes to capture the blur of bodies in motion. Imagine watching this intense match, surrounded by screaming spectators.

<i>Brucke Artists 1905 - 1910</i>. Brücke-Museum Berlin, Berlin (Dahlem), Germany (organizer) (September 8-October 28, 1973).

Brucke Artists 1905 - 1910

A colorful oil painting with loose brushstrokes depicting two wrestlers and four people watching. One wrestler's entire body pins the other down on the green, red, and orange patterned rug below them.

Artist’s estate, sold to Grosshennig Gallery

(Galerie Grosshennig, Düsseldorf, Germany, sold to Otto Gerson Gallery)

(Otto Gerson Gallery, New York, lent to Grosshennig Gallery on commission)

(Galerie Grosshennig, Düsseldorf, Germany, returned unsold to Marlborough-Gerson Gallery)

(Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, New York, sold to Allan Frumkin)

(Allan Frumkin Gallery, New York, NY, sold to E.V. Thaw)

(E. V. Thaw, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was a founding member of Die Brücke, or “The Bridge.” The movement was originally made up of Kirchner and several of his friends, who sought to create a bridge between traditional art and modern artistic expression.

The Bridge

Wrestling in a circus? When Kirchner painted this, many vaudeville shows, music halls, fairs, festivals, and yes, circuses included wrestling matches as part of the entertainment. As professional wrestling developed throughout the twentieth century, matches became stand-alone events.

Wrestlers in a Circus

Kirchner used bold colors and choppy brushstrokes to convey mood and emotion in his paintings. Look at the brightly-painted wrestlers and the dark, somber figures of the audience. What do you think he wanted to express?

Color Expression

Psychology of Modern Life

Primitive Human Emotions

Kirchner and Die Brücke

Degenerate Art

<h2><strong>General Information</strong></h2><ul><li>Visitor Services: <a href="mailto:info@clevelandart.org">info@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Ticket Sales: <a href="mailto:tix@clevelandart.org">tix@clevelandart.org</a></li></ul><h2><strong>By Department</strong></h2><ul><li>African Art: <a href="mailto:africanart@clevelandart.org">africanart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>American Painting and Sculpture: <a href="mailto:americanpaintings@clevelandart.org">americanpaintings@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Ancient Near East, Greek, and Roman Art: <a href="mailto:classicalart@clevelandart.org">classicalart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Archives: <a href="mailto:archives@clevelandart.org">archives@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Art Classes for Adults: <a href="mailto:adultstudios@clevelandart.org">adultstudios@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Art Classes for Children and Teens: <a href="mailto:familyyouthinfo@clevelandart.org">familyyouthinfo@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Art of the Americas: <a href="mailto:artoftheamericas@clevelandart.org">artoftheamericas@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Art to Go: <a href="mailto:ArtToGo@clevelandart.org">ArtToGo@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>ARTLENS Gallery (Digital Innovations): <a href="mailto:artlens@clevelandart.org">artlens@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Chinese Art: <a href="mailto:chineseart@clevelandart.org">chineseart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Collections Management: <a href="mailto:collections@clevelandart.org">collections@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Community Arts: <a href="mailto:commartsinfo@clevelandart.org">commartsinfo@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Conservation: <a href="mailto:conservator@clevelandart.org">conservator@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Contemporary Art: <a href="mailto:contemporaryart@clevelandart.org">contemporaryart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Corporate Support: <a href="mailto:corporate@clevelandart.org">corporate@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Decorative Art and Design: <a href="mailto:decorativeart@clevelandart.org">decorativeart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Design and Architecture: <a href="mailto:designandarchitecture@clevelandart.org">designandarchitecture@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Director: <a href="mailto:CMA_Director@clevelandart.org">CMA_Director@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Distance Learning: <a href="mailto:dl@clevelandart.org">dl@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Education Programs: <a href="mailto:edprograminfo@clevelandart.org">edprograminfo@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Egyptian Art: <a href="mailto:egyptianart@clevelandart.org">egyptianart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Employment Opportunities: <a href="mailto:careers@clevelandart.org">careers@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>European Painting and Sculpture, 1500 to 1800: <a href="mailto:europeanpainting@clevelandart.org">europeanpainting@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>European Painting and Sculpture, 1800 to 1960: <a href="mailto:europeanpainting1800to1960@clevelandart.org">europeanpainting1800to1960@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Exhibitions: <a href="mailto:exhibitions@clevelandart.org">exhibitions@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Facilities: <a href="mailto:facilities@clevelandart.org">facilities@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Film: <a href="mailto:film@clevelandart.org">film@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Group Sales: <a href="mailto:groupsales@clevelandart.org">groupsales@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Human Resources: <a href="mailto:hr@clevelandart.org">hr@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Indian and Southeast Asian Art: <a href="mailto:indianandsoutheastasianart@clevelandart.org">indianandsoutheastasianart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Ingalls Library Circulation: <a href="mailto:circulation@clevelandart.org">circulation@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Ingalls Library Reference: <a href="mailto:reference@clevelandart.org">reference@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Internships: <a href="mailto:internships@clevelandart.org">internships@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Japanese Art: <a href="mailto:japaneseart@clevelandart.org">japaneseart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Korean Art: <a href="mailto:Koreanart@clevelandart.org">Koreanart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Media Relations: <a href="mailto:marketingandcommunications@clevelandart.org">marketingandcommunications@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Medieval Art: <a href="mailto:medievalart@clevelandart.org">medievalart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Membership: <a href="mailto:membership@clevelandart.org">membership@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Museum Store: <a href="mailto:customerservice@clevelandart.org">customerservice@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Music and Performances: <a href="mailto:perform@clevelandart.org">perform@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Open Access Program: <a href="mailto:openaccess@clevelandart.org">openaccess@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Philanthropy and External Relations: <a href="mailto:OfficeofDDandCPO@clevelandart.org">OfficeofDDandCPO@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Photography Collection (Curatorial Department): <a href="mailto:photography@clevelandart.org">photography@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Photography (Rights and Reproductions): <a href="mailto:rights@clevelandart.org">rights@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Prints and Drawings: <a href="mailto:printsdrawings@clevelandart.org">printsdrawings@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Programs for Families and Youth: <a href="mailto:familyyouthinfo@clevelandart.org">familyyouthinfo@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Provenance (Restaurant): <a href="mailto:provenance@clevelandart.org">provenance@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Renting Museum Spaces: <a href="mailto:events@clevelandart.org">events@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>School Tours: <a href="mailto:schooltours@clevelandart.org">schooltours@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Security: <a href="mailto:securityoperations@clevelandart.org">securityoperations@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Teaching Innovation Lab: <a href="mailto:TeachingInnovationLab@clevelandart.org">TeachingInnovationLab@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Technology Help Desk: <a href="mailto:helpdesk@clevelandart.org">helpdesk@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>Textiles and Islamic Art: <a href="mailto:textilesandislamicart@clevelandart.org">textilesandislamicart@clevelandart.org</a></li><li>University Programs: <a href="mailto:universityprograms@clevelandart.org">universityprograms@clevelandart.org</a></li></ul>

Email Directory

General Information

By Department