Erbach, Alois Georg

Surveyor, painter, graphic artist, draughtsman, caricaturist

Born: 15.06.1888 in Wiesbaden

died: 19.09.1972 in Wiesbaden

Erbach spent his youth in Wiesbaden and learned the profession of geometrician there. From 1908, he studied at the Munich School of Arts and Crafts under Heinrich Knirr (1862-1944). After the First World War, Erbach returned to Wiesbaden for a while.

His works were exhibited for the first time in the Wiesbaden Museum and opened the way for him to the centers of German art. He spent years in Düsseldorf, Berlin, Dresden, Cologne and Vienna. He was represented at every major art exhibition of the time. The Munich Pinakothek bought one of his paintings. In 1920, he met Helmut Herzfelde, the owner of the Malik publishing house. Erbach created many critical prints for this publishing house.

He also contributed to satirical magazines such as "Die Pleite", "Der Knüppel", "Der rote Pfeffer" and "Rote Fahne". Because of these drawings, Erbach and many of his friends were arrested in Berlin on the evening of the Reichstag fire (February 27, 1933). After his release from prison, he lived on Mallorca from 1933-36. Erbach was a member of the artists' group "Die Abstrakten" and the "International Association of Expressionists, Futurists and Constructivists", among others. He had lived in Sonnenberg since 1946.

Erbach's work thrives on the tension between the representational and the abstract. His works are reminiscent of Impressionism, Cubism and Expressionism. Added to this is his pronounced interest in satire. His works cannot be assigned to one artistic direction, which is what makes them so appealing. The most famous mural is the "Ochsensprung" (Ox Leap) on the former Sonnenberg town hall. Erbach was a co-founder of the Düsseldorf artists' group "Junges Rheinland" and the Wiesbaden artists' group50.