Rudolf Belling
1886 - 1972
Rudolf Belling was a German sculptor who lived and worked during the 20th century. He was known for his theories of space and form, which challenged the prevailing assumptions about sculpture at the time. Belling believed that a sculpture should show only good views, and this was in opposition to the ideas of Adolf von Hildebrandt, a German art historian, who believed that sculpture should be comprehensible and not force the observer to go round it.
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Belling's theories were supported by critics like Carl Einstein and Paul Westheim, and his works influenced generations of sculptors after him. However, his career was cut short by the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany. Belling's works were labeled as degenerate, and he was banned from working as well as from his membership of the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin. He eventually had to leave Germany and settled in Istanbul, Turkey, where he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and later at the Istanbul Technical University.
Belling's legacy is significant, as he challenged the prevailing assumptions about sculpture and paved the way for a new understanding of form and space in art. His works continue to inspire artists today, and his archive is managed by his daughter Elisabeth Weber-Belling.
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