Fritz Wotruba: Alternative Stage Design for Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" at Belvedere

This page features an alternative design by Fritz Wotruba for the stage sets of Richard Wagner's 'The Ring of the Nibelung', specifically for the opera 'Die Walküre'. The design, dated 1966, depicts the interior of a living space titled 'Esche' for an intended production at the German Opera in Berlin in 1967.

The Belvedere presents a significant stage model design by the artist Fritz Wotruba, created in 1966. This work is an alternative concept for the stage construction of Richard Wagner's monumental opera cycle, 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Specifically, it details the first scene of 'Die Walküre', titled 'Das Innere eines Wohnraumes (Esche)' (The Interior of a Living Space (Ash)). The design was intended for a production at the German Opera in Berlin in 1967. This object, a plaster cast from a clay model mounted on a wooden panel, measures 26 x 57 x 50 cm. It represents Wotruba's sculptural approach applied to theatrical design, translating the narrative and atmosphere of Wagner's epic into a tangible, spatial form. The piece is part of the museum's collection, accessioned via the Fritz Wotruba Private Foundation.