Koloman Moser

Editha Hauska, Karl & Dietrich Moser, Vienna (heirs of the artist)
Dr Erich Pressburger, Vienna & San Francisco (Viennese ophthalmologist who emigrated to the USA in 1938 taking his art collection with him. In a postcard to Dr Hans Ankwicz-Kleehofen from December 1940, Pressburger mentions that the work was hanging in the nurse's room at his practice in San Francisco. It is likely that the painting found its way back to Europe after Dr Pressburger’s death in 1968)
Private Collection, Vienna (by 1984)
Galerie Martin Suppan, Vienna (by 1991)
Private Collection, Austria

Vienna, Kunstverlag Wolfrum, Nachlass Ausstellung Kolo Moser, 1920, no. 31 (as Still-Leben (rot-weis-rosa Blumen))
Vienna, Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Koloman Moser, 1979, no. 367, illustrated in the catalogue
Bonn, Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Ein Meister des Wiener Jugendstils: Ausstellung Koloman Moser, 1980
Milan, Padiglione d'arte contemporane, Kolo Moser – Grafico e designer, 1984, no. 142
Vienna, Galerie Martin Suppan, Österreichische Kunst 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, 1991, no. 28

Werner Fenz, Koloman Moser. Graphik, Kunstgewerbe, Malerei, Salzburg & Vienna, 1984, p. 260, no. 33b, catalogued (titled Blumenstrauch vor Gartenzaun); p. 105, pl. 33, illustrated
Daniele Baroni & Antonio d'Auria, Kolo Moser: Graphic Artist and Designer, New York, 1984, p. 88, illustrated (titled Flowers in Garden)
Maria Rennhofer, Koloman Moser - Leben und Werk, Vienna, 2002, p. 203, fig. 344, illustrated
Gerd Pichler, Koloman Moser. Die Gemälde - Werkverzeichnis, Vienna, 2012, p. 86, no. 37, catalogued & illustrated (as Blumen vor Gartenzaun)

The canvas has not been lined. Ultraviolet light reveals some minor retouching, notably to a circa 4 by 3cm restoration in the green pigments in the upper right quadrant (adhered on the reverse), some strokes along the centre of the extreme lower edge, and a spot in the dark red flowers right of the centre of the composition. This painting is overall in good condition, and it is likely its appearance could be further enhanced if desired with a light surface clean. Held in a decorative gilt frame, with the artist's name in embossed stylised characters. The colours in the original are deeper and less orange overall than in the catalogue illustration.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1909, the present work was included in the 1920 Koloman Moser estate sale and sold to the Viennese ophthalmologist Dr Erich Pressburger, who emigrated to the USA in 1938 taking his art collection with him. In a postcard to Dr Hans Ankwicz-Kleehofen of December 1940, Pressburger mentions that the work was hanging in the nurse's room at his practice in San Francisco. It is likely that the painting found its way back to Europe after Dr Pressburger’s death in 1968.

In 1909-10 Kolo Moser executed a small number of  flower still lifes and garden views. Numbers 36, 55 and 56 in the Koloman Moser catalogue raisonné show garden views from this period which are compositionally highly comparable to the present work. All depict flowers before a garden fence, in which the vertical pieces of static wood contrast with the lively animation of the flowers.

It is probable that the fence depicted in the present work was the fence in Koloman Moser's own garden on the Hohe Warte in Vienna. The house had been built for Koloman Moser and Carl Moll in 1900-01 by fellow artist Josef Hoffmann. While Koloman Moser occupied the part that was Steinfeldgasse 6, Moll lived in Steinfeldgasse 8. Their gardens were separated by a white wooden picket fence.