Lot 6326: KUNST IM DRITTEN REICH - Josef Thorak (1889 - 1952) - a marble head of Dr. Fritz Todt

KUNST IM DRITTEN REICH - Josef Thorak (1889 - 1952) - a marble head of Dr. Fritz Todt
Monumental head depicting the Reich Minister for Armament Dr. Fritz Todt, made from so-called "Untersberg" marble (northern Limestone Alps near Salzburg) with reddish inclusions (so-called "trout marble"), sculptured in one piece with a rectangular base (dimensions 28 x 32 cm), signed on the nape of the neck "THORAK 1942". In good to very good condition, total height 54 cm. Josef Thorak and Arno Breker were the most important sculptors of the Third Reich. The War had not yet started when Hitler had a huge studio built for Thorak - the largest in Europe - according to plans by Albert Speer in Baldham near Munich. In this studio Thorak was able to create sculptures as high as 17 metres in one piece. In 1944 he was put on the so-called "Gottbegnadetenliste" (list of the divinely gifted) by Hitler, thus he was excused from military service. Furthermore Hitler put him on his special list of the "twelve irreplaceable visual artists". Dr. Fritz Todt (1891 - 1942), inspector general for road engineering in Germany and constructor of the motorways of the Reich, SA-Obergruppenführer, major general of the Luftwaffe, from 1940 on Reich secretary for weaponry and ammunition. The militarily organised construction group organisation Todt (Siegfried Line, Atlantic Wall) foundet in 1938, was named after him (Siegfried Line, Atlantic Wall). In 1937 he was awarded the German National Prize for Art and Science created by Hitler, which included prize money of 100,000 Reichsmark. On 8 February 1942 he died in a plane crash not far from the Führer's headquarters Wolfsschanze near Rastenburg. Earlier he supposedly had had a heated discussion with Hitler as in his opinion the war could not be won any more. Nevertheless Hitler awarded him posthumously the German Order, the highest award of the Third Reich. Provenance: Hartmannsberg Castle, acquired by Josef Thorak in 1938. The marble head serving as a model for later objects was made here. The marble head became the property of a Chiemgau citizen after the 2nd World War and was part of his private collection, ignored by the public, a photo document included. A comparable, but damaged head was sold as lot 3182 at Hermann Historica's 60th auction. Another copy is published in "The Art in the German Reich", December 1943 issue, p. 267 and in Mortimer G. Davidson, Kunst in Deutschland 1933 - 1945. Masterfully crafted piece and of utmost rarity.

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