Early Life, Family and Training

Georg Ehrlich was born into a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, on 22 February 1897. His early years in the city provided the foundation for a life defined by the visual arts, though his path was interrupted by the realities of a continent at war. From 1912 until 1915, he pursued formal training at the Kunstgewerbeschule, the school of arts and crafts in Vienna. During this formative period, he studied under the architect Oskar Strnad, an education that would inform his understanding of form and structure.

The trajectory of his training was abruptly diverted by the outbreak of the First World War. Between 1915 and 1918, Ehrlich served in the Austrian Army. This period of military service took him away from the studio and the disciplined study of craft, placing him instead within the harsh realities of conflict. When he finally returned to his artistic pursuits, the world he had known had been irrevocably altered, yet the technical foundations laid in his youth remained.

Artistic Activity in Munich and Berlin

The post-war economic depression in Austria prompted a period of movement for Ehrlich. Between 1919 and 1921, he resided in Munich, a transition that marked a significant step in his professional development. It was during this time that he held his first solo exhibition in 1920. His work in Munich was characterized by his skill as a graphic artist, specifically through his lithographs. These early prints revealed the distinct influence of Oskar Kokoschka, establishing his reputation within the Expressionist manner.

Following his time in Munich, he moved to Berlin, where he remained from 1921 until 1923. This period of residence in Germany allowed him to further refine his technical abilities in lithography and etching. While his focus would eventually shift toward the three-dimensional, these years in Munich and Berlin were essential in establishing his presence as a graphic artist before his eventual return to Vienna.

Return to Vienna and Focus on Sculpture

Upon his return to Vienna in 1924, the trajectory of his creative life began to shift. The graphic work that had defined his earlier years in Munich and Berlin gradually receded, replaced by a singular, growing preoccupation with form. By 1926, he had taken up sculpture, a transition that would ultimately define his professional identity. This period marked a departure from the two-dimensional plane toward the tactile complexities of three-dimensional objects.

His personal life became intertwined with his artistic practice when he married the artist Bettina Bauer on 27 November 1930. Their partnership was one of shared purpose; she would later provide essential assistance in the casting and patinating of his bronze works. As his focus narrowed almost exclusively to sculpture, his presence in the Viennese art scene solidified, moving away from the lithography and etching of his youth toward the heavy, permanent medium of bronze.

Life and Work in London

The shadows of the Anschluss in 1938 forced a sudden departure from Austria, leading Ehrlich to London, where he sought a new permanence. His wife, Bettina, joined him shortly after, bringing with her many of his existing works to a country that would soon become his home. By 1947, he had become a British citizen, a transition that mirrored his deepening integration into the British art scene. His presence in the capital was marked by a steady professional ascent, including a solo exhibition at the Matthiesen Gallery in 1939.

His recognition within the British establishment grew steadily over the following decades. In 1962, he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, a distinction that acknowledged his established standing among his peers. His work during this period often focused on the human form, frequently turning toward the innocence and vulnerability of children. This period of his life was defined by a settled, though physically taxing, creative output that saw his sculptures move from private studios into the public consciousness.

• The Bombed Child, 1943
• Two Sisters, 1944
• The Young Lovers, 1950–1951

Technique and Artistic Style

Ehrlich’s creative output was defined by a versatility that spanned the visual arts, moving between the precision of printmaking and the physical presence of sculpture. In his earlier years, he demonstrated a command over lithography and etching, working as a graphic artist and printmaker. These early explorations in line and shadow provided a foundation for his later, more substantial pursuits. As his career progressed, he transitioned into a painter and sculptor, eventually finding his most enduring expression in three-dimensional form.

After 1924, his focus shifted predominantly toward sculpture, adopting a realist style that sought to capture the essence of his subjects. He became particularly adept at working with bronze, a medium he used to cast numerous small-scale sculptures and busts. His approach often involved a certain degree of abstraction in the facial features; he frequently utilized scratched-out eyes or hollowed, scooped-out recesses where the windows of the soul would typically reside. This technique lent a sense of vulnerability to his figures, particularly in his depictions of children and animals.

His sculptural work often balanced a sense of weight with a delicate, elongated grace. Whether working on intimate portrait heads or larger public figures, he maintained a preoccupation with the character of the individual. This focus on the human condition is evident in several of his notable bronze works:

• Italian Boy, 1935
• The Bombed Child, 1943
• Two Sisters, 1944
• Standing Boy, 1951
• Sick Boy, 1951
• Refugee, 1951

Key Works and Public Commissions

Ehrlich’s recognition grew steadily through the middle decades of the twentieth century, marked by significant international honors. In 1937, he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris World Exposition, a distinction that arrived just as his life was being irrevocably altered by the political climate in Europe. His ability to translate human emotion into form was further recognized in 1960, when he received the Sculpture Prize of the City of Vienna for a full-size bull.

His public presence is felt in several notable locations, where his sculptures interact with the architecture and spirit of the spaces they inhabit. In London, his work The Young Lovers is situated within the gardens of St Paul's Cathedral. This piece, along with others, reflects a preoccupation with the human figure and the vulnerability of its subjects. His reach extended to religious settings as well, with The Bombed Child finding a permanent home in Chelmsford Cathedral.

• Italian Boy, 1935
• Two Sisters, 1944
• Pax, 1945
• Standing Boy, 1951
• Sick Boy, 1951
• Refugee, 1951

Later Years and Death

The final decade of Ehrlich's life was marked by a gradual withdrawal from the center of the art world, dictated largely by his physical health. From 1951, he began to contend with persistent heart problems. These medical challenges necessitated a change in pace and a shift in geography, leading him away from the established circles of London.

In 1963, seeking a different environment, he moved to Italy. This period of residence was relatively brief, as he eventually relocated to Switzerland. His movements during these years reflected a search for stability amidst declining health. He died in Lucerne on 1 July 1966. Although his life ended in Switzerland, he was returned to his birthplace for burial in Vienna.

Where to See the Works Today

The physical presence of Georg Ehrlich’s sculpture and graphic work remains distributed across several significant institutions in the United Kingdom. His bronze and plaster figures find a permanent home within the collections of the Tate Gallery and the British Museum. These placements ensure that his exploration of form and character remains accessible to those studying the development of modern sculpture. His work is also held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, reflecting the breadth of his contribution to the visual arts during his years in London.

Beyond these major galleries, his portraiture has been preserved in more specific contexts. The National Portrait Gallery in London holds his likenesses, including plaster casts of notable figures such as Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. These pieces offer a direct encounter with his ability to capture the essence of a subject through the medium of bronze. His public presence is also felt in more localized settings, such as the gardens of St Paul's Cathedral or the grounds of various schools and cathedrals, where his work exists as part of the landscape.