Rudolf Bauer

Adolphe J. Warner, New York
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 19, 1978, lot 31
Private Collection
Crane Kalman Gallery, London
Private Collection, London (acquired from the above in 2004)

Berlin, Galerie Der Sturm, Kunstausstellung Der Sterm, 1917, no. 42
Glasgow, Royal Galsgow Institute of Fine Arts, 1970

The board is sound. There are some scattered nicks and creases to the extreme edges and some normal discoloring on the reverse. The surface of the work is clean. There is some thin, stable craquelure in the thick yellow pigments at the center of the upper left quadrant. Under UV light, there are scattered restorations throughout the aforementioned yellow arc at left, as well as small strokes at edge along upper left corner to address prior frame abrasions and a few other pindot retouches are visible elsewhere. This work is in overall good condition.
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.

German-born Rudolf Bauer was a principal innovator and exponent of Non-objective painting, the term favored by Solomon R. Guggenheim himself to describe autonomous abstractions, from lyrical expressionism to geometric constructivism. Bauer began his career in Berlin at the onset of World War I, becoming a prominent figure in the avant-garde circle at Herwarth Walden's famed Galerie Der Sturm alongside fellow luminaries Paul Klee, Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky. It was the latter artist who influenced Bauer most, and their shared passion for spiritualism and musically-derived improvisation in art led them to collaboratively refine their styles and theories and exhibit together often throughout the late 1910s and early 1920s. By the 1930s, Bauer was considered a leader among the German avant-garde and was the favored artist of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who ended up purchasing the lion's share of the artist's production.