Lot 64
  • 64

Bruno Schulz

Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
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Description

  • Bruno Schulz
  • Bianca with Her Father in the Carriage
  • signed Bruno Schulz and dated 1937 (lower right)
  • pencil on paper, unframed
  • 6 by 8 in.
  • 15.4 by 20.3 cm.
  • Executed in 1937.

Exhibited

Warsaw, Muzeum Literatury, Bruno Schulz 1892-1942. Ad Memoriam, November 1992–July 1993
Stockholm, Jewish Museum of Stockholm, Franz Kafka and Bruno Schulz – Masters of the Borderlands, October 2010–March 2011

Literature

Wojciech Chmurzynskiego, ed., Memoirs of the Exhibition “Bruno Schulz – 1892-1942. Ad Memoriam” at the Muzeum Literatury in Warsaw, Warsaw, 1995, p. 261

Condition

Matted but unframed. This work is in very good condition overall. The sheet is hinged to the backing board at the top. The sheet has darkened over time except for a thin band of approximately 1/8 to 1/4 in. running along all 4 edges, possibly due to prior matting. There are minor soft creases throughout.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Born into a wealthy family in Drohobycz, Galacia, Bruno Schulz studied architecture at Lvov Polytechnic. After WWI, the Schulz family immigrated to Vienna and it was here that Schulz immersed himself in the world of Klimt, Schiele, and Kokoschka. While his stay in Vienna was relatively brief, the influence of the city's artistic climate is readily apparent in his present work.

Schulz began working on the cliché-verre illustrations for The Booke of Idolatry, in 1920, while an instructor at the Drohobycz Lycée. He kept the work largely secret from all but a few friends. As suggested by the title, the series of prints depicts a world of desire and temptation.  Schulz printed the series himself, turning a corner of his small one-room house into a dark room suitable for printing the photo sensitive glass plates involved in cliché-verre. The Booke of Idolatry remained largely overlooked, as did Schulz himself, until the 1930 Spring Salon in the Palace of Art in Lvov.

The 1930's saw Schulz's development as a writer and following the 1933 publication of his novel The Cinnamon Shops, translated into English titled The Street of Crocodiles, he became known as one of the most important avant-garde Polish authors. While focusing largely on his writing through the 30's, his graphic work also attracted attention and critical fame. At the outbreak of WWII, Schulz was still living and working in Drohobycz which was at the time occupied by the Soviet Union. Following the German invasion of Poland, he was eventually forced into a ghetto. While initially somewhat protected by a German officer who admired his work, Schulz was shot in the street and killed by another German officer in 1942.

In the 1970's, his work was rediscovered through a series of exhibitions in France and in Belgium. A loan exhibition, largely of works owned by the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature in Warsaw, was held at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, in 1990. Schulz is now considered one of the giants of Polish literature in the 20th Century and his numerous drawings are equally prized.

By an Act of Parliament, November 2012 was declared Bruno Schulz Month in Poland. A series of literary and commemorative events were held, marking the 120th anniversary of Schulz's birth and the 70th anniversary of his death.