August Macke

Private Collection (acquired by 1957)
Anne Abels, Cologne (acquired by 1966)
Private Collection, San Francisco
Private Collection (sold: Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, 9th-10th June 1986, lot 765)
Private Collection, Germany (acquired from the above in the mid-1990s. Sold: Christie's, London, 23^rd June 2009, lot 18)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Berlin, Galerie von der Heyde, August Macke zur 20. Wiederkehr seines Todestages, 1934, no. 5
Hamburg, Kunstverein, August Macke, 1935
Hanover, Kestner-Gesellschaft, August Macke, 1935, no. 9
Aachen, Suermondt-Museum, August Macke, Gedächtnisausstellung des Museumvereins, 1948, no. 18
Dortmund, Museum am Ostwall, August Macke, Gedächtnisausstellung, 1949, no. 13
Duisburg, Städtisches Kunstmuseum, August Macke, 1949, no. 13

Gustav Vriesen, August Macke, Stuttgart, 1953, no. 178, illustrated p. 317
Ursula Heiderich, August Macke, Werkverzeichnis, Stuttgart, 2008, no. 237, illustrated p. 371

The canvas is laid down on board and there is no evidence of retouching under ultra-violet light. There are artist's pinholes to the lower left corner, towards the upper left corner and towards the upper right edge. This work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed 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."

Schreibende Frau, painted in 1910, is a wonderful example of August Macke's passion for vibrant colour and his affinity towards simplified form. The glowing yellows, greens, blues and reds help understand why Franz Marc addressed his friend with the very appropriate name August von der Farbe (August 'Of-the-Colour') in a letter of 1911.

Indeed Macke's pictures from those years have a monumentality and colourism new to his œuvre. The artist began to develop a more dramatic approach to perspective, flattening the picture plane, using broad colour fields, very much in keeping with Matisse's experiments of the same period. The present work, an intimate portrayal of a woman writing, is not only indebted to Matisse, but clearly evokes themes visited by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists alike which the artist first encountered during a visit to Paris in the summer of 1907.

The present work is a beautiful example of Macke's modern approach to painting, dating from one of the most important and innovative periods of 20^th century art. Schreibende Frau shows the various influences on the development of German Expressionist art and the work of August Macke, one of the leading artists of the avant-garde movement in Germany and closely associated with the Blaue Reiter group.