Renée Sintenis – Pioneer of sculpture

She was considered the face of the Weimar Republic and, with her fashionable short hairstyle, a model for the “new woman”: Renée Sintenis, a pioneer of sculpture. Whether on a horseback ride in the Tiergarten or while driving her own car  ̶  in 1920s Berlin, the tall and androgynous-looking artist made a big impression.

In her sculptural work, Sintenis preferred the small format. In small sculptures, she initially devoted herself to the female nude and soon mainly to animal sculptures. To follow her profession, she broke with her family.

But the sculptor also knows how to illustrate the powerful forward dynamics of a polo player or the tense concentration of popular boxers. Therefore her trenchant, gripping portrayals of athletes are at the same time an expressive testimony to the sporting enthusiasm of the time. Penetrating self-portraits and the portraits of friends full of character, including the poet Joachim Ringelnatz, additionally promote interest in her artistic work. With the sculpture of “Daphne” the artist also creates one of the most impressive mythological embodiments of the time.

During the Second World War, Renée Sintenis spent many years in the so-called inner emigration. Yet in the 1950s, she finally became an ambassador for the city she loved so much by creating her sculpture of the Berliner Bär (Berlin Bear). To this day, this creation remains a much sought-after and world-famous trophy of the Berlin Film Festival.

Header image: Renée Sintenis auf Sylt, Bildarchiv Georg Kolbe Museum Berlin, Nachlass Renée Sintenis

Guided Tours, workshops and events to the exhibition Renée Sintenis