Mataré attended the gymnasium in Aachen, receiving private lessons from sculptor Karl Krauß (1859–1906) during this time and studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin from 1907. He initially studied under Professor Julius Ehrentraut and also spent several months studying under Lovis Corinth. He was a master student of history painter Arthur Kampf. In 1916, he fulfilled his military service but was discharged after a few months due to health reasons. He became a member of the artists’ association Novembergruppe in 1918. Only after completing his studies did he begin sculpting. The majority of his work consists of animal sculptures.
In 1922, he married 31-year-old Hanna Hasenbäumer. They had a daughter, Sonja Beatrice, in 1926. When he was 37 years old, he suffered from severe depression. In 1932, he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf and moved to Büderich (Meerbusch). After the National Socialists came to power in 1932, he was dismissed. He was able to earn a living by taking on commissions from religious institutions.
After World War II, Mataré was reappointed to the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. He declined the position of rector because many teachers who had also taught during the Nazi regime were still working there, and there was little interest in his reform plans, which aimed to allow 14-year-olds to begin studying. Some of the famous students from Mataré’s class of sculptors include Joseph Beuys, Erwin Heerich, and Georg Meistermann.
Even after the war, Mataré received many commissions from religious institutions. For example, he designed four doors for the southern portal of the Cologne Cathedral. Ewald Mataré participated in the first and second Documenta in Kassel in 1955 and 1959.
Mataré passed away in 1965 from a pulmonary embolism.
www.ftn-books.com has several Mataré titles available.
