GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM 1
GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM Prints and Works on Paper 27 July – 21 August 2016 Featuring important works by Ernst Barlach Max Beckmann Otto Dix George Grosz Erich Heckel Max Kaus Käthe Kollwitz Wilhelm Lehmbruck Jeanne Mammen Emil Nolde Hermann Max Pechstein Karl Schmidt-Rottluff
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The founding of the ‘Artists’ Group Die Brücke’ in June 1905 has been described as ‘one of the most important events in German and international art in the twentieth cen- tury’. [1] Perhaps the most widely known collective of German Expressionist artists, Die Brücke was founded by four middle-class architecture students without any art training: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Fritz Bleyl. They were joined the following year by Max Pechstein—the only member of the group to have academic training. The brief of the group was nothing short of a complete reinvention of art—ironically through a return to the roughly hewn German woodblock prints of the Middle Ages. Their manifesto stated: With a belief in evolution, in a new generation of creators as well as appreciators, we call together all youth. And as youth that is carrying the future, we intend to obtain freedom of movement and of life for ourselves in opposition to older, well-established powers. Who- ever renders directly and authentically that which impels him to create is one of us. [2]
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The all-or-nothing attitude of Die Brücke was symptomatic of German society in the first decade of the twentieth century, when it seemed to many that the progress of humankind had run adrift and needed a radical reboot. As an agitator for change Expressionism was one of the sparks that ignited the flames of war, but in the years after it evolved as a reaction against conflict. It is unthinkable to imagine a German art today unaffected by war and political revolution. Understandably
not
all
German
artists
shared
Die
Brücke’s
uncompromising radical- ism. Max Beckmann abhorred the term Expressionism and fought with its primary protagonists. Prior to the War he was part of the establishment; he had studied at the Weimar Academy of Art and in 1910 was elected Director of the Berlin Secession. During the Great War Beckmann volunteered as a medical corpsman, and his art was forever after scarred by his harrowing psychological experience. His Christ Descending the Cross is one of the masterworks of Expressionism, and embodies the pain, suffering and loss felt by all German artists at this time. Nowhere do we get a more complete account of the turmoil of postWar Germany than through its art. Otto Dix’s graphic prints make for uncomfortable viewing, but are critical documents of European social history. Few have ever captured the horror of war as effectively as Dix. Similarly George Grosz studied life on the streets, where prostitutes and cigar-chomping Capitalists bustled alongside crippled war veterans. The extremities of life could not have been greater.
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Working alongside the ‘New Objectivity’ artists (with whom Beckmann, Dix and Grosz are identified) are those who brought a spiritual dimension to their work; those who believed society could only be repaired by returning to a primitive, pre-industrial era of innocence. After Die Brücke folded in 1913 each of its members followed their own paths. Erich Heckel commenced a series of self-portraits where the artist becomes a prophet of a new world, while Pechstein and Schmidt-Rottluff became ever more ensconced in non-Western tribal art. Significantly it was Emil Nolde, a Danish-born artist who became associated with Die Brücke in 1906, who prefigured the return to primitivism prior to the War. His Prophet of 1912 is an especially penetrating work. Significant among the present group is the inclusion of works by Ernst Barlach, Max Kaus, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, and Jeanne Mammen, who each provide poignant and highly individual impressions of life in pre and post-War German society. Their works are, in turn, deeply moving and arrestingly realised—and they could have originated from nowhere other than Germany in the early twentieth century. In spite of the specific and traumatic circumstances that gave rise to Expressionist art, it speaks through and beyond its own time to resonate powerfully with our own. As such it proves that sometimes it is the art made in the most hostile and difficult environments that produces the most timeless and evocative statements on the human condition. Simon Gregg, Curator, Gippsland Gallery [1] Magdalena M. Moeller, ‘The Artists’ Group Die Brücke’, in German Expressionism: The Colours of Desire, International Cultural Corporation of Australia, Sydney, 1989, p.16 [2] [Attributed to] Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Die Brücke, 1906, reprinted in Stephanie D’Alessandro, German Expressionist Prints: The Marcia & Granvil Specks Collection, Milwaukee Art Museum and Hudson Hills Press, Milwaukee, 2003, pp.28-29
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ERNST BARLACH 1870 Wedel/Holstein - 1938 Rostock Sculptor, printmaker, dramatist. Famed for his sculptures of religious and mystical figures influenced by Gothic wood carvings, and for bulky peasant figures, which were inspired by his 1906 trip to Russia. Used emphatic gestures and angular poses to convey emotion and movement. After studying in Hamburg, Dresden, and, briefly, Paris, lived in Berlin from 1899, and then, eschewing city life, settled in northern town of GĂźstrow in 1910. Ardor for war, manifested in works celebrating righteousness of German cause, was quickly extinguished. Volunteered as a medic, then drafted into infantry in December 1915; discharged after three months due to heart problem. Thereafter created haunting monuments in wood and bronze,erected in churches across Germany, warning of tragic consequences of war. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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ERNST BARLACH Die Mรถrderin (The Murderess) Chalk lithograph. 1912. 29.2 x 36.4 cm (51.7 x 67.4 cm) Schult 29; Lauer 9.14 Signed in pencil Barlach lower right. A superb impression on chamois Japan, with wide margins. EB 01016
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MAX BECKMANN 1884 Leipzig - 1950 New York
Painter, printmaker. Known for probing the human condition in portraits, self-portraits, and enigmatic, allegorical tableaus. Emerged in Berlin in early 1910s working in late Impressionist manner. Joined medical corps during World War I. Served in Belgium, where he met Erich Heckel. Discharged after nervous breakdown in 1915. Although he had publicly criticized Franz Marc and the Blaue Reiter’s impulse toward abstraction and spirituality in 1912, harrowing experience of war led him to incorporate strategies of distortion, angularity, and exaggerated color. After war, settled in Frankfurt, but maintained ties to Berlin art circles. Focused on urban themes, especially disaffection of postwar society, and often depicted life as a theater or circus in tightly compressed compositions, which he sometimes elaborated in portfolio format. In mid-1920s compositions became less crowded and more naturalistic. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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MAX BECKMANN Der Traum I (Totenklage) (The Dream I: [Lamentation of the Dead]) Drypoint. 1924. 45.6 x 21cm (61.8 x 38cm) Signed in pencil Beckmann lower right, titled Totenklage and inscribed (Probedruck) lower left. An excellent, strong impression of this important print, with velvety deep black areas and wellbalanced plate tone. On chamois JW Zanders laid paper, with the watermark crowned standing lion. One of only a few proof impressions before the edition of at least 35, some of which were numbered by GĂźnther Franke to x/X or x/25. Probably published by Verlag Graphisches Kabinett, Munich. Hofmaier 302 A (of B d) MB 03178
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MAX BECKAMNN Kreuzabnahme (Descent from the Cross) Drypoint. 1918. 30.5 x 25.4 cm (50.3 x 32.9 cm) Signed and dated in pencil Beckmann 18 lower right, titled Kreuzabnahme and inscribed (Handdruck erster Zustand) lower left. Published as sheet 11 from the series Gesichter by Verlag der MarÊes-Gesellschaft, R. Piper & Co., Munich, 1919. On chamois laid paper with watermark ORIGINAL HAND LINEN P & H, with full margins. A brilliant, fine impression of the first state, with plate-tone. Extremely rare, Hofmaier records only 2 further impressions. This proof, pulled by the artist himself, shows a much greater variety of accents and differentiation and allows us to follow Beckmann’s sensations and creative process. Hofmaier 131 I (of II D) MB 03101
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MAX BECKMANN Nackttanz (Nude Dance) Lithograph. 1922. 47.2 x 37.5 cm (67.6 x 53.3 cm) Signed in pencil Beckmann lower right, numbered 94/100 lower left. Plate 4 from the portfolio Berliner Reise 1922, a series of 11 lithographs published by I. B. Neumann, Berlin 1922. From an edition of 100 impressions on firm wove paper (aside from some on Japan or laid paper). Hofmaier 216 B MB 03108
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MAX BECKMANN Selbstbildnis Mit Katze und Lampe (Self Portrait with Cat and Lamp) Chalk lithograph. 1920. 47.2 x 32.2 cm (59.6 x 46.4 cm) Signed in pencil Beckmann lower right. One of 20 unnumbered impressions on laid paper. Hofmaier mentions further 20 numbered impressions on laid paper and 10 impressions on simili-Japan. Furthermore he knows six proof impressions either on laid paper or on simili-Japan. A fine impression of this rare lithograph on laid paper, watermarked ORIGINAL HAND LINEN P&H. With the publisher´s stamp Karl Lang Verlag on the verso. The man sleeping in the background is Ugi Battenberg, with whom Beckmann lived and shared a studio, between 1915 and 1919 in Frankfurt. Hofmaier 162 B C MB 03150
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MAX BECKMANN Selbstbildnis (Self Portrait) Drypoint etching. 1920 19.5 x 14.5 cm (31.5 x 23 cm) Drypoint, on wove paper, probably from the edition of one hundred published in the book by Kurt Pfister, Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart, and Published by Klinkhardt und Biermann, Leipzig, 1920, with wide margins. Signed in pencil, Beckmann lower right. Hofmaier 172 B
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MAX BECKMANN Selbstbildnis (Self Portrait) Woodcut. 1922 22.2 x 15.5cm (54 x 42cm) Woodcut, edition 22/60 on chamois laid paper. From the total edition of 200 impressions (75 on Japan, 125 on laid paper), of which some were numbered by GĂźnther Franke to x/60 (from the edition on laid paper). Signed in pencil lower right numbered lower left. Final state, with full margins. Hofmaier 226 III B f
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MAX BECKMANN Taubstumme (Deaf mute) Lithograph. 1921. 24.8 x 16.7 cm (28.2 x 21.4 cm) Signed and dated in pencil Beckmann lower right. A very fine impression on chamois laid paper. From an edition of 100 proofs which accompanied the deluxe edition of Der Ararat, Glossen, Skizzen und Notizen zur Neuen Kunst, vol. 2, no. 11, Goltzverlag, Munich, November, 1921. The periodical Der Ararat was a publication of the Munich book and art dealer Hans Goltz (1863-1927). Hofmaier 202
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MAX BECKMANN Totenhaus (The House of the Dead) Woodcut. 1922. 37.5 x 47.5cm Signed in pencil Beckmann lower right, numbered 15/35 lower left. On chamois laid paper, with full margins. Aside from 35 proofs in state B, Hofmaier records only three proof impressions in state A. Hofmaier 252 II B
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OTTO DIX 1891 Untermhaus/Gera - 1969 Singen Painter, printmaker, watercolorist. Known especially for his caustic portraits of postwar German society. Studied in Dresden from 1910 to 1914, where he encountered art of the BrĂźcke and began painting in a colorful, emotionally exaggerated and gestural style. Profoundly influenced by writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, which he carried into war as an enthusiastic volunteer in 1914. Saw action as an artillery gunner; wounded multiple times and decorated with Iron Cross, Second Class. Served entire war, through 1918; emerged with scathing view of mankind. Settled in Dresden in 1919, where he made contact with socialist Expressionist groups; was also briefly involved with Dada, exhibiting works at First International Dada Fair in 1920. Created several monumental works chronicling the brutality of war, including a portfolio of fifty shockingly graphic etchings, The War (published 1924). Also focused on postwar decadence, depicting war profiteers, prostitutes, crippled veterans, and sexual violence in an increasingly verist style. Stripped of honors and teaching position in 1933 by Nazis, who also seized 260 works from public collections, some of which were destroyed. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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OTTO DIX Abend in der Wijtschaete-ebene (Evening on the Wijtschaete Plain) (November 1917) Etching and aquatint. 1924 24.3 x 29.8cm (35.5 x 47.7 cm) Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 23/70 lower left and inscribed VII lower center. A superb, vibrant impression, rich in contrasts, on ivory-colored BSB-laid paper. Plate 27 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 96 a (of b) OD 01100
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OTTO DIX Die Sappenposten haben nachts das freuer zu unterhalten (The Sap Sentries Must Keep the Fire Burning at Night) Etching, aquatint and drypoint. 1924. 24.5 x 29.8 cm (35/35.3 x 47/47.5 cm) Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 23/70 lower left and inscribed VIII lower center. A very fine impression with rich burr and velvety blacks. On ivory colored BSB-laid paper. Plate 48 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 117 I/2 a (of II) OD 01094
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OTTO DIX Gastote (Gas victims) (Templeux-La-Fosse, August 1916) Etching and drypoint. 1924. 19.5 x 28.8 cm (35.6 x 47.6 cm) Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 23/70 lower left and inscribed III lower center. An excellent, strong impression with subtle plate-tone, on firm wove paper. Plate 3 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 72 b OD 01099
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OTTO DIX Maschinengewehrzug geht vor (Machine-Gun Company Advancing) (Somme, November 1916) Etching and aquatint. 1924. 24.4 x 29.8 cm (35.4 x 47.4 cm) Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 23/70 lower left and inscribed I lower center. A very fine, vibrant impression with rich burr and velvety blacks. On ivory colored BSB-laid paper. Plate 41 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 110 a (of b) OD 01095
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OTTO DIX Transplantation (Skin graft) Etching, aquatint and drypoint. 1924. 20 x 14.8 cm (47.2/47.7 x 35.2 cm) Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 23/70 lower left and inscribed X lower center. A brilliant impression on ivory-colored BSB-laid paper. Plate 40 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 109 III a (of IV) OD 01098
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OTTO DIX Verlassene stellung bei neuville (Abandoned Position near Neuville From the War) Etching and drypoint. 1924. 19.6 x 14.5 cm (47.5 x 35.1 cm) Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 62/70 lower left and inscribed I lower center. A superb impression with rich burr and subtle plate-tone, the darker areas with velvety blacks. On firm, chamois wove paper. Plate 11 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 80 b OD 01101
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OTTO DIX Abgekämpfte truppe geht Zurück (Battle Weary Troops Retreat: Battle of the Somme) (Sommeschlacht) Etching. 1924. 19.8 x 29 cm (35.4/36 x 48 cm) With the Otto Dix Foundation stamp on the verso. A brilliant impression with subtle plate-tone on watermarked BSB-laid paper, with full margins. Plate 21 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 90 a (of b) OD 01107
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OTTO DIX Besuch bei Madame Germaine in MĂŠricourt (Visit to Madame Germaine at Mericourt) Etching, aquatint and drypoint. 1924. 26.1 x 19.8 cm (47.9 x 35.8 cm) With the Otto Dix Foundation stamp on the verso. A very fine, richly-inked impression on BSB-laid paper, the full sheet. Plate 36 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 105 a (of b) OD 01106
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OTTO DIX Verwundetentransport im houthulster wald (Transporting the Wounded in Houthulst Forest) Etching, aquatint, drypoint. 1924. 19.7 x 25.8 cm (35.9 x 47.3/47.7 cm) With the Otto Dix Foundation stamp on the verso. A superb, well-balanced impression, printed with subtle plate-tone, on watermarked BSB-laid paper, the full sheet. Plate 47 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 116 a (of b) OD 01108
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OTTO DIX Bei Langemark (Near Langemark) (February 1918) Etching and drypoint. 1924. 24 x 29cm Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 48/70 lower left and inscribed VII lower center. A superb, rich impression with burr and carerfully wiped plate-tone, on ivory-colored BSB-laid paper. Plate 7 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 76 a (of b) OD 01109
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OTTO DIX Toter in schlamm (Dead Man in Mud) Etching and aquatint. 1924. 19.3 x 25.8 cm (35.2 x 47.5 cm) Signed in pencil DIX lower right, numbered 62/70 lower left and inscribed III lower center. A brilliant, strong impression with light grey tonality, on watermarked chamois BSB-laid paper. Plate 23 of the portfolio Radierwerk VI "DER KRIEG", 50 etchings, printed by Otto Felsing and published 1924 by Verlag Karl Nierendorf, Berlin, in an edition of 70. Karsch 92 a (of b) OD 01097
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GEORGE GROSZ 1893 - 1959, Berlin Painter, draftsman, printmaker known for pointed political satire and social criticism. Early work, from about 1914 to 1917, shows influence of Expressionism and Futurism, as well as caricature. Volunteered for war in 1914; discharged in 1915 after a sinus operation. Recalled in January 1917; suffered nervous breakdown, declared unfit for military service. In 1916 adopted American spelling of his first name and deGermanized his last name. Joined Communist Party in 1918, although became disillusioned after 1922 trip to Soviet Union. Experience of war fueled aversion for German militarism and philistinism. As member of Berlin Dada from 1918 to 1920, created mordantly satirical collages. In 1920s style became more naturalistic in caustic, caricatured studies of corrupt officers, war profiteers, exploitative industrialists, and prostitutes. Emigrated to New York in 1933. Declared an “enemy of the state� by Nazis, who confiscated his works in German museums; some destroyed. One month before his death in 1959, returned to Berlin. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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GEORGE GROSZ Der Zuchthäusler (The convict) Lithograph. 1919. 46.2 x 34.4 cm (62.9 x 51.4 cm) Signed in pencil Grosz lower right, numbered 9 lower left. From the edition of 40 impressions, published by the Galerie Hans Goltz, Munich 1920. A brilliant impression on firm wove paper. Drßckers E 52 GG 01073
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GEORGE GROSZ Kein hahn kraht nach ihnen (Nobody cares about them) Lithograph, 1920 27.5 x 21.5cm Published with Volkomene Menschen (Perfect People) at DIE SCHAFFENDEN, 2nd volume, 4th portfolio, by Paul Westheim, Gustav Kiepenheuer Verlag, Weimar 1920. Duckers E63
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GEORGE GROSZ Notizblatt des sittenpolizisten (Sketch of Seated Policeman) Lithograph. 1919. 27 x 22 cm (51 x 39.5 cm) Signed in pencil Grosz lower right, numbered 7 lower left. From the edition of 30 impressions aside from at least two proof impressions. On chamois, smooth laid paper. DrĂźckers E 56 GG 01077
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GEORGE GROSZ Parasiten (Parasites) Lithograph. 1919. 40 x 32 cm (63.7 x 50.1 cm) Signed in pencil Grosz lower right. From the series from the cycle Parasites, one of at least 3 unnumbered next to 40 numbered impressions. On brownish wove paper. DrĂźckers E 55 GG 01074
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GEORGE GROSZ Strasse des VergnĂźgens (Street of Pleasure) Lithograph. 1915/16. 24.5 x 18.5 cm (29 x 22 cm) Signed in pencil Grosz lower right. A very fine impression on firm, chamois Japan. Plate 7 from the portfolio Kleine Grosz Mappe, published 1917 by the Malik-Verlag, Berlin, in an edition of 120. DrĂźckers M II, 7 GG 01085
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GEORGE GROSZ Tragikgrotesken des Wieland Herzfelde (Tragic/grotesque portrait of Wieland Herzfelde) Photolithograph. 1919. 44 x 26.8 cm (68.5 x 52.5 cm) Signed in pencil Grosz lower right and numbered 11 lower left. From an edition of 40 impressions, published by Galerie Hans Goltz, Munich. An excellent impression on chamois, slightly grained wove paper, with wide margins. The print is based on a drawing from 1919 which DrĂźckers located in a private location in Hamburg. DrĂźckers E 54 GG 01082
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ERICH HECKEL 1883 Döbeln - 1970 Radolfzell Painter, printmaker. One of four architecture students in Dresden who formed the Brücke group in 1905; served as its business manager. Early paintings and prints focus on nudes in the studio, cabaret themes, and landscapes created during intermittent retreats with fellow Brücke artists. In 1910 met future wife, dancer Sidi Riha, the subject of many portraits. Followed Brücke members to Berlin in 1911. During World War I was stationed in Belgium with Red Cross medical corps headed by art historian Walter Kaesbach, who ensured Heckel continued to paint and make prints. While there became close with James Ensor and met Max Beckmann. In 1918 returned to Berlin and joined socialist artists’ organizations, including the Novembergruppe. During war and postwar years created many portraits, self-portraits, and landscapes embodying spiritual isolation and melancholy. Output also reflects his long engagement with modern works of philosophy and literature, including those by Friedrich Nietzsche and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Used printmaking as a means for radically simplifying and flattening compositions. Nazis prohibited him from exhibiting and confiscated 729 works from public collections. Studio and its contents in Berlin destroyed during World War II. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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ERICH HECKEL Der Holzschnitzer (The Woodcarver) Lithograph. 1948. 30 x 30 cm (51.6 x 34.7 cm) Signed and dated in pencil Erich Heckel 48 lower right, titled and numbered Holzschnitzer 11/29 lower left. A brilliant, fine impression on thick, smooth wove paper. Printed by the Lovispress in Schwenningen. The lithograph shows Heckel´s artistic colleague and friend Ernst Ludwig Kirchner carving a wood sculpture. Dube L 331 EH 02089
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ERICH HECKEL Der Mann (The Man) Woodcut. 1913. 43 x 21.6 cm (63.5 x 47.9 cm) Signed and dated in pencil Erich Heckel 13 lower right. A brilliant, strong impression of this scarce woodcut, with subtle play of the wood grain in the dark areas. On thick, soft paper, with wide margins. There are only 17 impressions known today, ten of which are in public collections. The woodcut is a self-portrait of Heckel from 1913. The high rectangle encompasses Heckel´s head, brought to life by the play of light and shadow. His broad skull pushes against the enclosing borders, his left hand merges into them and his deeply set eyes are turned inward, questioningly. Dube H 262 EH 02097
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ERICH HECKEL Fabrik (Factory) Woodcut. 1910. 26 x 35.4 cm (44 x 57.9 cm) Signed and dated in pencil Erich Heckel 08 lower right. Titled - Fabrik - lower left. A brilliant, vibrant handprinted impression, on smooth Japan with wide margins. Rare woodcut of the Brßcke-period, the final state of the woodblock. According to Hans Geissler 13 impressions are known, which are all dated "08", "10" or "12". All of the prints with the date "08" carry Heckel´s signature from the 1920s. Dube H 195 II EH 02084
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ERICH HECKEL Mann in der Ebene (Man on a Plain) Woodcut. 1917. 33.7 x 27.3 cm (70.7 x 55.8 cm) Signed in pencil Erich Heckel 17 lower right and titled Mann i. d. Ebene at the lower left sheet edge. Aside from the edition of 40 impressions, published in the portfolio Elf Holzschnitte, 1912-19, Erich Heckel by I.B. Neumann, Berlin, 1921. A brilliant, strong impression hand-printed by the artist, on thick, soft, chamois Japan. The richly inked black areas still showing fine subtleties of the wood grain and a strong relief of the deeply embossed paper. The woodcut is a self-portrait of the artist, created in 1917 during World War I. Dube H 305 II A EH 02092
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MAX KAUS 1891 - 1977, Berlin Mädchenkopf (Head of a Young Girl) Woodcut. 1919. 24.8 x 12.6 cm (32.2 x 19.2 cm) Signed in pencil MKaus lower left. A fine, deep black impression, on thin wove paper. Although Krause mentions an edition of 150 impressions, it is very rare on the art market. Provenance: Collection Helmut Goedeckemeyer, with his collector´s stamp on the verso. Krause H 1919/9 MK 02030
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Kร THE KOLLWITZ 1867 Kรถnigsberg - 1945 Moritzburg Selbstbildnis (Self Portrait) Etching, drypoint and soft-ground etching, 1912. 14 x 10cm (27.6 x 20.6cm) Signed 'Kathe Kollwitz' l.r. in pencil. After the reduction of the plate and before steel facing. Kneesbeck 126 VIIa (of d3)
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WILHELM LEHMBRUCK 1891 Duisburg - 1919 Berlin Paolo und Francesca (Paolo and Francesca) Drypoint. 1913. 29.5 x 19.5 cm (44.9 x 31.3 cm) Signed and inscribed in pencil W. Lehmbruck, Probeabzug III lower right. A brilliant impression with well-balanced greyish plate-tone, on firm sturdy paper. Provenance: Collection Heinrich Neuerburg, with his blind stamp in lower left sheet corner. Petermann 69 I (of II) WL 01005
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I have often wanted to be just a pair of eyes, walking through the world unseen, only to be able to see others. Jeanne Mammen
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JEANNE MAMMEN 1890 - 1976, Berlin Watercolorist, painter, printmaker. Raised in Paris. Studied art in Paris, Brussels, and Rome from 1906 until 1911. As a German citizen, was forced to flee France with her family at outbreak of World War I; lost all possessions. Impoverished, settled in Berlin in 1916, where she eventually earned a living making illustrations for fashion magazines and posters for Universum-Film AG (UFA), the film distributor. After 1924 frequently published drawings and watercolors in major satirical periodicals such as Ulk and Simplicissimus, for which she chronicled the experiences of Berlin's crop-haired, self-reliant "new women" at work and leisure — experiences that mirrored her own. Often showed them in cramped, distorted spaces, some rendered in lurid tones reminiscent of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and others in brilliant, orphic colors of the prewar Parisian avant-garde. Enjoyed growing commercial and critical success; in 1930 had first solo exhibition at Galerie Gurlitt in Berlin. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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JEANNE MAMMEN Beim Schminken (To put one’s make up on) Lithograph printed in light pink and green. Circa 1930-32. 40.9 x 30.8 cm (50.5 x 37 cm) Signed in pencil JMammen lower right, numbered P. A. 3 (proof impression 3) lower left and inscribed Beim Schminken in the middle of the lower sheet edge. One of only eight known impressions, on chamois Japan laid paper. Provenance: Jeanne-Mammen-Gesellschaft, Berlin; Private Collection Berlin Döpping/Klünner D24 JMa 01035
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JEANNE MAMMEN Die Wahl (The choice) Lithograph printed in light green and pink. Circa 1930- 32. 44.4 x 34.6 cm (53.5 x 38.3 cm) Signed in pencil JMammen lower right, numbered P/A 1 (proof impression 1) lower left and inscribed Die Wahl lower center. One of only 11 known impressions, on chamois laid paper. Provenance: Jeanne-Mammen-Gesellschaft, Berlin; Private Collection Berlin. DĂśpping/KlĂźnner D22 JMa 01029
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JEANNE MAMMEN Kaschemme (Dive Bar) Drypoint on zinc. Circa 1930-32. 47 x 34 cm (62.8 x 45.1 cm) Signed in pencil J. Mammen lower right and numbered 1/15 lower left. One of only 20 impressions numbered 1-15, 4 artist´s proofs numbered PA 1 - PA 4, as well as one numbered 16. On wove paper. Provenance: Jeanne-Mammen-Gesellschaft, Berlin Döpping/Klünner D26 JMa 01036
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EMIL NOLDE 1867 Nolde – 1956 Seebüll Painter, printmaker, watercolourist. First trained as a woodcarver; later studied painting and developed style involving intense colour and thick, gestural impasto. Changed name to Nolde, his birthplace, in 1902. Invited to join Brücke in 1906 by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, who introduced him to woodcut. In return, taught Brücke members his innovative etching techniques. An independent personality, left Brücke after only one year, but remained friendly with the group. Expelled from Berlin Secession in 1910 after vehemently criticizing Max Liebermann for rejecting Expressionist paintings. Explored typical Expressionist themes of urban nightlife, but had a more abiding devotion to biblical scenes and northern landscapes, as well as "primitive" and phantasmagorical subjects. In 1913–14, with wife, Ada, travelled overland via Russia to German New Guinea, accompanying a German colonial expedition. Subsequently made paintings, watercolours, and prints based on travels. Ultimately produced 525 prints, almost all before 1926, mostly unpublished etchings and woodcuts in black and white; frequently developed his images through several states. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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EMIL NOLDE Kerzentänzerin (Candle Dancer) Line and tonal etching. 1918. 26.2 x 22 cm (57.5 x 46 cm) Signed in pencil Emil Nolde lower right and titled by Ada Nolde Kerzentänzerin in the lower margin. A superb, fine impression, with a wonderfully varied tonal patchwork of the background. On thick, smooth laid paper with full margins. Some appealing traces of the working process on the verso. Schiefler/Mosel record six impressions of the first state and at least 14 impressions of state II. Schiefler/Mosel R 195 II EN 02055
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EMIL NOLDE Prophet Woodcut. 1912. 32 x 22.5 cm (39 x 31cm) Signed in pencil 'Emil Nolde.' lower right and titled by Ada Nolde 'Prophet' in the middle of the lower margin. A wellbalanced, vibrant hand-printed impression with strong relief and uneven printing wood grain, adding texture and a wide range of tonality. On thick, cream wove paper. One of the masterpieces in Nolde´s printed oeuvre and an icon of German Expressionist printmaking. Although the edition is presumably larger than the 40 mentioned by Schiefler/Mosel, this print has become rare on the market in recent years. Schiefler/Mosel H 110 EN 02042
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EMIL NOLDE Verzweiflung (Despair) Woodcut. 1906. 15.7 x 20.3 cm (22 x 25.4 cm) Signed and dated in pencil Emil Nolde 06 lower right. This impression is an intermediary state between I and II, in this form unknown to Schiefler/Mosel. With the little bush in the middle ground carved with a thin silhouette but before the small white lines defining some leaves which Nolde added in the second state. A very fine, rich impression, with a strong relief on grey-green fibrous wove paper. Provenance: Private Collection, Southern Germany Schiefler/Mosel H 15 I/II (of III) EN 02052
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HERMANN MAX PECHSTEIN 1881 Zwickau - 1955 Berlin Vergrämt (Troubled Person) Drypoint, riffler and brush etching. 1920. 26.5 x 20.3 cm (47.6 x 37 cm) Signed in pencil HMPechstein and dated 1920 lower right. An excellent impression in the second and final state, rich in contrasts and with light grey tonality. On firm, chamois paper. Probably from the edition for the portfolio Die Schaffenden, IV. Jahrgang, Mappe 1, published by Euphorion Verlag, but without the blindstamp. HMP 01036
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KARL SCHMIDT-ROTTLUFF 1884 Rottluff - 1976 Berlin Painter, printmaker. One of four architecture students, including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Fritz Bleyl, and childhood friend Erich Heckel, who cofounded BrĂźcke group in Dresden in 1905. The most independent long-term member, from 1910 to 1911, kept a studio in Hamburg, home of several important supporters. Even after moving to Berlin in 1911, shied away from BrĂźcke subjects of urban modernity; began depicting radically stylized nudes and heads, influenced by Cubism and African and Oceanic art. Conscripted in May 1915 and served three years on Eastern front. Although shattered nerves rendered him unable to paint, continued to make woodcuts. Near end of war, seeking spiritual solace, turned to biblical themes. From the beginning, printmaking fundamental to simplifying and abstracting his style. Made 663 prints, of which nearly 450 were woodcuts. Almost all date between 1905 and 1927. Until 1912 printed most by hand in small editions; thereafter used professional printers, sometimes under commission from publishers, including Pan-Presse, J. B. Neumann, and Kurt Wolff. In 1933 expelled by Nazis from the Prussian Academy of Arts; eventually prohibited from painting and exhibiting. Nazis confiscated 608 works from public collections. Berlin studio and many works destroyed during World War II. Excerpt from Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011.
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Moses Woodcut. 1919. 44 x 27.5 cm (69 x 56.4 cm) Signed in pencil S. Rottluff lower right and inscribed with the work number 1932 lower left. A fine impression of this largeformat woodcut, on grayish wove paper. Provenance: Collection Wilhelm Niemeyer Schapire H 259 KSR 01197
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KARL SCHMIDT-ROTTLUFF Ruderer (Rower) Drypoint. 1921. 11 x 17.4 cm (26 x 39.5 cm) Signed in pencil S. Rottluff lower right, inscribed with the work number 215 and KN [Kaltnadel] lower left. An excellent impression with rich burr, delicate plate-tone and deeply impressed platemark. On chamois, firm sturdy paper. Schapire R 50 KSR 01228
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ERNST BARLACH 1. Die Morderin (The Murderess) 1912 Chalk lithograph 29.2 x 36.4cm $2,750
MAX BECKMANN 2. Selbstbildnis (Self portrait) 1922 Woodcut, 22/60 22 x 15.5cm
NFS
3. Selbstbildnis (Self portrait) 1920 Dry point 19.5 x 14.5cm
NFS
4. Kreuzabnahme (Descent from the Cross)1918 Dry point 30.5 x 25.4cm $60,000 5. Totenhaus (House of the Dead) 1922 Woodcut 15/35 37.5 x 47.5cm $72,500 6. Selbstbildnis mit Katze und Lampe (Self portrait with Cat and Lamp) 1920 Chalk lithograph 47.2 x 32.2cm $80,000 7. Nackttanz (Nude Dance) 1922 Lithograph 47.2 x 37.5cm
$48,000
8. Der Traum I (Totenklage) (The Dream I [Lamentation of the Dead]) 1924 Dry point 45.6 x 21cm $82,000 9. Taubstumme (Deaf-Mute) 1921 Lithograph 24.8 x 16.7cm
$11,000
OTTO DIX 10. Bei Langemark (Februar 1918) (Near Langemark [February 1918]) 1924 Etching and drypoint 48/70 24 x 29cm $26,000 11. Verlassene Stellung bei Neuville (Abandoned Position near Neuville) 1924 Etching and drypoint 62/70 19.6 x 14.5cm $40,000
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12. Maschinengewehrzug geht vor (Machine-Gun Squad Advances) 1924 Etching and aquatint 23/70 24.4x 29.8cm $27,000 13. Abgekämpfte Truppe Geht Zurück (Sommeschlacht) (Battle Weary Troops Retreat) 1924 Etching 19.8 x 29cm $17,000 14. Die Sappenposten haben Nachts das Feuer zu unterhalten (The Sap Sentries must keep the fire burning at night) 1924 Etching, aquatint, drypoint 23/70 24.5 x 29.8cm $27,000 15. Verwundetentransport im Houthulster Wald (Transporting the Wouned in Houthulst Forest) 1924 Etching, aquatint, drypoint 19.7 x 25.8cm $23,000 16. Besuch bei Madame Germaine in Méricourt (Visit to Madame Germaine at Méricourt) 1924 Etching, aquatint, drypoint 26.1 x 19.8cm $25,000 17. Transplantation (Skin Graft) 1924 Etching, aquatint, drypoint 23/70 20 x 14.8cm $36,000 18. Gastote (Templeux-La-Fosse, August 1916) (Gas Victims) 1924 Etching, drypoint, 23/70 19.5 x 28.8cm $27,000 19. Toter im Schlamm (Dead Man in Mud) 1924 Etching, aquatint 62/70 19.3 x 25.8cm $21,000 20. Abend in der Wijtschaete-ebene (November 1917) (Evening on the Wijtschaete Plain) 1924 Etching, aquatint 23/70 24.3 x 29.8cm $27,000
GEORGE GROSZ
KATHE KOLLWITZ
21. Strasse Des Vergn체gens (Street of Pleasure) 1915/16 Lithograph 7/120 24.5 x 18.5cm $11,000
32. Selbstbildnis (Self portrait) 1912 Drypoint, soft-ground etching 14 x 10cm
22. Parasiten (Parasites) 1919 Lithograph 40 x 32cm
33. Paolo und Francesca 1913 Drypoint 29.5 x 19.5cm
WILHELM LEHMBRUCK $10,000
23. Der Zuchth채usler (The Convict) 1919 Lithograph 46.2 x 34.4cm $38,000 24. Tragikgrotesken des Wieland Herzfelde (Tragic Portrait of Wieland Herzfelde) 1919 Photolithograph 44 x 26.8cm $15,000 25. Notizblatt des Sittenpolizisten (Sketch of Seated Policeman) 1919 Lithograph 27 x 22cm $20,000 26. Kein Hahn Kr채ht Nach Ihnen (Nobody Cares about Them) 1920 Lithograph 27.5 x 21.5cm $10,000
ERICH HECKEL 27. Fabrik (Factory) 1910 Woodcut 26 x 35.4cm
$65,000
28. Der Holzschnitzer (The Woodcarver) 1948 Lithograph 11/29 30 x 30cm $15,000 29. Der Mann (The Man) 1913 Woodcut 42.7 x 21.3cm
$8,000
$72,000
30. Mann in Der Ebene (Man on a Plain) 1917 Woodcut 33.7 x 27.3cm $30,000
MAX KAUS 31. Madchenkopf (Head of a Young Girl) 1919 Woodcut 24.8 x 12.6cm $10,000
$26,000
JEANNE MAMMEN 34. Beim Schminken (To put on Make-up) 1930-32 Lithograph AP 40.9 x 30.8cm $15,000 35. Kaschemme (Dive Bar) 1930-32 Drypoint on zinc 1/15 47 x 33cm
$14,000
36. Die Wahl (The Choice) 1930-32 Lithograph AP 44.4 x 34.6cm
$15,000
EMIL NOLDE 37. Prophet 1912 Woodcut 32 x 22.5cm
$140,000
38. Verzweiflung (Despair) 1906 Woodcut 15.7 x 20.3cm
$20,000
39. Kerzentanzerin (Candle Dancer) 1918 Line and tonal etching 26.2 x 22cm $72,000
HERMANN MAX PECHSTEIN 40. Vergr채mt (Troubled Person) 1920 Drypoint, riffler, brush etching 26.5 x 20.3cm $10,000
KARL SCHMIDT-ROTLUFF 41. Ruderer (Rower) 1921 Drypoint 11 x 17.4cm
$16,000
42. Moses 1919 Woodcut 19/32 44 x 27.5cm
$30,000
Prices include GST. Prices may change due to exchange rate fluctuations
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GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM Prints and Works on Paper 27 July – 21 August 2016 View full exhibition and price list here.
63 Jersey Road Woollahra NSW 2025 Australia T. (02) 9327-3922 | info@olsenirwin.com | www.olsenirwin.com
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