Heinrich Vogeler

Born in Bremen in 1872, Heinrich Vogeler became one of the best-known artists of the Worpswede colony and an important name in German Jugendstil. He studied at the art academies in Düsseldorf and Antwerp, and his house, the Barkenhoff in Worpswede, became closely linked with the idealized, decorative world of his early work.

After serving in World War I, his outlook changed sharply. Vogeler moved away from the refined, poetic style of his youth and became increasingly committed to left-wing politics, producing work that reflected social concerns and the struggles of ordinary people.

In the 1930s he emigrated to the Soviet Union. He died in 1942 in Kazakhstan after being evacuated there during the war, leaving behind a body of work that traces a remarkable path from Art Nouveau dreaminess to politically engaged realism.