Contemporary reproduction by polish sculptor Lukás Látal of Arno Breker's Bereitschaft bust from 1939. Arno Breker (1900–1991) was a prominent German sculptor whose neoclassical works epitomized the aesthetic ideals of Nazi Germany, serving as a counterpoint to "degenerate art." During his formative years in Paris in the 1920s and early 1930s, he drew inspiration from figures like Jean Cocteau, Jean Renoir, Pablo Picasso, and Aristide Maillol.

Breker maintained close ties with Albert Speer; in 1937, he joined the Nazi Party and was appointed official state sculptor, receiving a grand studio with 43 assistants and exemption from military service. His monumental pieces, including the twin sculptures The Party and The Army at the New Reich Chancellery entrance, and 42 works exhibited at the Great German Art Exhibitions—such as Comradeship, Torchbearer, and Sacrifice—featured exaggerated proportions, dramatic musculature, and bold contrasts, evoking comparisons to 16th-century Italian Mannerism while aligning with Nazi architecture.

Although most of Breker's sculptures survived World War II, over 90% of his public commissions were destroyed by Allied forces. Postwar, he declined a commission from Joseph Stalin, remarking that "one dictatorship is sufficient for me," and continued creating in his classical style for private patrons and businesses, including numerous bronze female figures (some based on pre-1945 models). His oeuvre is preserved at the Breker Museum in Schloss Nörvenich, Germany.

DECORATIVE & FINE ARTS