Paul Klee

Alfred Flechtheim, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Paris & London (1929-1932)
Elmer Rice, Stanford & New York (probably acquired from the above in 1932 and sold: Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 3, 1968, lot 34)
Acquired at the above sale 

Berlin, Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Paul Klee, 1929, no. 120
New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Paul Klee, 1930, no. 54 (catalogued as tempera and gesso on canvas)
Düsseldorf, Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Paul Klee, 1931, no. 74
New York, Buchholz Gallery & New York, Willard Gallery, Paul Klee, 1940, no. 66

Eckart von Sydow, "Paul Klee. Galerie A. Flechtheim," Die Kunstauktion, Munich, October 1929
Karl Jakob Hirsch, "Malír Paul Klee," Musaion, Prague, December 1929, illustrated p. 210
J. B. Neumann, Artlover, vol. 3, no. 1, New York, 1930, illustrated p. 6
René Crevel, Paul Klee, Peintres nouveaux, Paris, 1930, illustrated p. 59
Alfred H. Barr, Jr., "Paul Klee," Omnibus, Berlin, 1931, illustrated p. 206
Paul Klee Foundation, Paul Klee Catalogue Raisonné, vol. V, London, 2005, no. 4990, illustrated p. 370

 

The canvas has been relined. There is a stable network of craqueleur throughout the surface due to the artist's heavy application of paint. Under ultra-violet light, there is some minor retouching to address frame abrasion along the lower horizontal edge on the left. Over all, the work is in good condition. Colors: The green is fresher than it appears 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.
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.

Klee painted Versprengter Reiter in 1929 at a time when his artistic career was at a peak. Having moved to Dessau to teach at the Bauhaus in 1926, Klee divided his time between his lectures and workshops at the school and his steady artistic production. In 1929, the same year he painted this picture, Klee returned from a journey through Egypt that had a profound influence on his work. We can see the aesthetic influence of Egyptian hieroglyphics in his interpretation of a rider on horseback. Another important point of reference for Klee here is the legacy of Der Blaue Reiter. The rider astride his horse had great significance in German Expressionist art as an emblem of the avant-garde periodical Der Blaue Reiter, and Klee would have been conscious of this association. Here, Klee incorporates that powerful symbol into this picture, giving it a fresh interpretation. Versprengter Reiter is one of four works that he devoted to this theme in 1929, but it is the only oil version and by far the most elaborate of the series (catalogue raisonné nos. 4954, 4978 and 4984).

 

Of these works Klee produced during his tenure at the Bauhaus in Dessau (1926-1931), Will Grohman notes: "during the five years Klee spent in Dessau...His work gained in range and intensity, and its favorable reception with the public encouraged him to ever greater boldness and directness of pictorial statement. Klee was now one of the few artists in a position to decide the future course of art. Every exhibition was eagerly anticipated, and critics measured him by international standards." (W. Grohmann, Paul Klee, New York, 1955, p. 251)

 

The present painting was once in the collection of the famous American playwright Elmer Rice (1892-1967). Rice was an avid collector of modern art through the 1920s and 1930s and he most likely acquired this picture in 1932 from Alfred Flechtheim. In his autobiography Minority Report, he notes that at the height of the Depression (circa 1933-34) he was able to buy many works by leading modern artists to create his impressive collection.