Christoph Voll (1897–1939)

Female bust in red granite by German sculptor Christoph Voll.

The woman's face is finely modelled with closed eyes and a calm, introspective expression, while the chest and lower section are left more roughly hewn. The contrast between the smooth, worked surfaces and the raw stone emphasizes the structure of the granite and gives the sculpture a strong material presence.

Christoph Voll is regarded as one of the significant German sculptors of the first half of the 20th century. His work combines monumental, simplified forms with a strong focus on the human figure and the individual character of his subjects.

Voll had a close connection with Edvard Munch. When he visited Munch in Norway and showed him photographs of his work, Munch was impressed and described in them an “elemental force” and a sense of repose within themselves – a characterization that seems particularly fitting for this bust.

Voll was married to a Danish woman and consequently had close ties to Denmark. He died in 1939, aged only 42, and was buried in Denmark, where his descendants still live.

Provenance

This bust comes directly from the descendants of Christoph Voll and formed part of the artist family's own collection.

According to the family, the work belonged to a larger group of Voll's sculptures intended for an exhibition in Oslo in 1939, which Edvard Munch was involved in arranging. With the outbreak of war, the plans were abandoned and the works were instead brought to safety in Denmark. Part of the collection was stored during the war in the cellars beneath Christiansborg Palace before the works were later returned to the artist's family.

Dimensions: H. 48 cm | W. 35 cm | D. 29.5 cm