German-American artist Karl Zerbe uses paint and collage to create this larger than life bird. Painted in profile, the bird's head is encompassed by a large green halo, implying a majestic quality. Directly next to the bird's head a yellow-gold medallion-like emblem can be found, adding to the majestic nature of the beast. The bird's feathers are created with paint and collage, giving them a sense of texture as it reaches out from the canvas.
Artwork Details
Medium
Canvas, Collage, Acrylic Paint
Acquisition
Accession
2022.4
Source or Donor
The Dana M. Preu Trust (c/o Adonica Gieger, Trustee)
Acquisition Method
Gift
Credit Line
The Dana M. Preu Trust
Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Zerbe, Karl
Role
Artist
Date made
1963
Dimensions
Height
36 in
Width
24 in
Interpretative Labels
Label
Karl Zerbe (1903 - 1972)
Karl Zerbe was a Boston Expressionist painter born in Berlin on September 6, 1903. His family soon moved to Paris for his father's work. He moved to Friedberg in 1920 to study Chemistry before going to study painting in Munich at the Debschitz School. His main instructor was Josef Eberz, a German expressionist painter. With a fellowship from the City of Munich Zerbe traveled around Italy from 1924 until 1926. In 1937 he became the head of the Department of Painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This was the same year his art was destroyed and labeled as "Degenerate art" by Nazis. In 1955 he left Boston and joined the faculty in the Department of Art and Art History at Florida State University. Students would say his classes would include a lot of information about the chemical components of their paint and drying mediums and their effects on the final piece. He continued teaching until he died on November 24, 1972.
