Man in the Boat
1977 | Cat. No. 250 | Bronze | Height 175 cm
Inscription on the chest of the figure:
E=m*c2 / EINSTEIN – EVERYTHING IS IN TRANSITION IN THE WORLD
Inscription on the jetty:
LAND AHOY
Inscription on the inside of the boat:
LIKE METAMORPHOSIS
There are a few different versions of the Man in the Boat sculpture, which Kirchner worked on from 1975 to 1977 and which are now housed in the Erlangen Municipal Collection. Whilst the early versions were still marked by a sense of doubt in the man, that hesitation is no longer recognisable in this bronze sculpture. The naked man’s feet and legs remain firm and stable in the low boat. The upper body is bent forward, similar to a wooden trunk, and thus seems to form the mast of a boat. The outstretched arms are wide open. The man appears full of hope and joy, awaiting the new and unknown. Engraved on his chest is the formula of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity (E=m*c2), which for Kirchner stands as a symbol for the metamorphosis of being and the ever-renewing nature. The boat is a symbol of the ever-changing flow of life, which is now approaching a new destination.
Audio guide
Location of the sculpture