Paul Klee

Galerie Neue Kunst Hans Goltz, Munich (acquired in July 1920)

Kuno Sponholz, New York

Herwin & Hildegarde Schaefer, San Rafael (acquired in 1949. Sold: Christie's, New York, 29th November 1998, lot 746)

Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

Munich, Galerie Neue Kunst Hans Goltz, Paul Klee, 1920, no. 231

Geneva, Galerie Jan Krugier, Ditesheim & Cie, Paul Klee. Traces de la mémoire, 1998-99, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preussischer Kulturbesitz,  Linie, Licht und Schatten. Meisterzeichnungen und Skulpturen der Sammlung Jan und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 1999, no. 153, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Venice, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, The Timeless Eye. Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski Collection,1999, no. 167, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Miradas sin Tiempo. Dibujos, Pinturas y Esculturas de la Coleccion Jan y Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2000, no. 163, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, La Passion du Dessin. Collection Jan et Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2002, no. 150, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Munich, Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Das Ewige Auge - Von Rembrandt bis Picasso. Meisterwerke aus der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2007, no. 160, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Paul Klee Foundation (ed.), Paul Klee, Catalogue raisonné, Bern, 1999, vol. 3, no. 2274, illustrated p. 130

Executed on chalk-grounded gauze which appears to have been taken off its original mount and laid down on card. Apart from a surface abrasion near the left edge and some very small scattered pigment losses, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although slightly fresher and more subtle in the original.
"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."

Vollmond in Mauern is an exceptional example of Klee’s dramatic interpretation of architectural landscapes. Composed as an oval - the contrasting facets of colour representing the roofs and walls of a town - the present work epitomises the approach Klee’s art took after the First World War (fig. 1). The innovative use of plaster-covered gauze gives the work a wonderfully rich texture and vibrancy, and also echoes the architectural essence of the work. Discussing the pictures produced during this important period, Will Grohmann writes: 'Viewed superficially the pictures of 1919 are combinations of planes remotely reminiscent of analytical Cubism. Actually, however, they are based on a translucent network of straight lines which intersect at right or acute angles and produce a structure of planes. The 'story', if it exists at all, is worked in and expands the facts by including fate in the composition. Klee's attitude is existentialist in that he repeatedly faces the void, re-creates the universe, and accepts fate. All the paintings of 1919 are stigmatized by fate, represented by houses, windows, trees and stars, rarely by animals or human beings. The associative elements that usually determine the title are not the point of departure; nor are the forms, or at least only those that leave room for association. Klee's whole universe is indeed embraced by form, but it is a form filled by the universe, and from this balance springs the fullness and precision of his pictures' (W. Grohmann, Paul Klee, London, 1954, pp. 152 & 159).

Describing the present work Anita Beloubek-Hammer writes: ‘This oval structure of coloured shapes has a precious appearance, like a polished stone sparkling in the light, with the prismatic subdivision of its surface enclosing the yellow disc of the moon. Its sparkle radiates into its environs; in contrast, around the picture’s border, a night-time blue dominates. […] Angles, surfaces and colour contrasts produce a certain spatial effect, a complex, relief-like space of colour that is constructed without beginning and end, like the construction of the universe. The artist certainly had this metaphor in mind, for the years 1919-20 stand out in his œuvre as the period of "cosmic" pictures’ (A. Beloubek-Hammer, in The Timeless Eye – Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski Collection (exhibition catalogue), op. cit., p. 344).