Alexej von Jawlensky

Hanna Bekker vom Rath, Hofheim am Taunus
By descent from the above to the present owner

Hamburg, Kunstverein, Malerei und Plastik in Deutschland 1936, 1936, no. 114
Mannheim, Galerie Egon Günther, Alexej von Jawlensky, 1948, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Landschaft)
Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstkabinett & Munich, Kunstkabinett Klihm, Jawlensky, 1954, no. 17
Dortmund, Museum am Ostwall, Jawlensky, 1954
Wiesbaden, Neues Museum, Jawlensky, 1954, no. 38
Kassel, Museum Fridericianum, Documenta, 1955, no. 237 (titled Landschaft in Murnau)
Frankfurt, Kunstkabinett, Einblick in eine Hofheimer Privatsammlung, 1956
Bremen, Kunsthalle, Jawlensky, 1957-58, no. 106
Stuttgart, Württembergischer Kunstverein & Mannheim, Städtische Kunsthalle, Jawlensky, 1958, no. 43, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Munich, Haus der Kunst, Aufbruch zur modernen Kunst. München 1869-1958, 1958, no. 1015
Frankfurt, Karmeliterkloster, Beitrag der Russen zur modernen Kunst, 1959, no. 68
Thessaloniki; Athens & Beirut, Deutsche Kunst von 1910 bis zur Gegenwart, 1962, no. 39
Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Moderne Malerei Frankfurter Privatbesitz, 1963, no. 38, illustrated in the catalogue
Pasadena, Pasadena Art Museum, Alexei Jawlensky - A Centennial Exhibition, 1964, no. 38 (titled Landschaft in Murnau)
Munich, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Jawlensky, 1964, no. 61
Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne & Munich, Haus der Kunst, Le Fauvisme français et les débuts de l'Expressionnisme allemand, 1966, no. 172, illustrated in the catalogue
Koblenz, Mittelrhein Museum, Blaue Reiter, Brücke, Bauhaus, 1967, no. 52, illustrated in the catalogue
Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstverein & Hamburg, Kunstverein, Jawlensky, 1967, no. 86, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (with incorrect medium)
Munich, Haus der Kunst & Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, L'Expressionnisme Européen, 1970, no. 80, illustrated in the catalogue
Villingen-Schwenningen, Beethovenhaus, Jawlensky, 1972, no. 33, illustrated in the catalogue
Hoechst, Jahrhunderthalle & Leverkusen, Erholungshaus der Bayer AG, Privatbesitz Hofheim, Sammlung Hanna Bekker vom Rath, 1984-85, no. 17, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
St. Petersburg, Florida, Museum of Fine Arts, German Expressionist Art from the Collection of Hanna Bekker vom Rath, 1989
Locarno, Pinacoteca Comunale & Emden, Kunsthalle in Emden, Stiftung Henri Nannen, Alexej Jawlensky, 1989-90, no. 51, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Long Beach, Museum of Art, Alexej Jawlensky: From Appearance to Essence, 1991, no. 9, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Savannah, Georgia, Telfair Museum of Art, Spotlight on Art, June 1997
New York, The Jewish Museum, Schoenberg, Kandinsky, and the Blue Rider, 2003-04, no. 38, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Otto Fischer, Das neue Bild, Munich, 1912, illustrated pl. XX
Das Kunstwerk, 1949, vol. III, no. 2, illustrated p. 40
Clemens Weiler, Alexej von Jawlensky. Der Maler und Mensch, Wiesbaden, 1955, illustrated in colour pl. VIII
Bernard S. Myers, Expressionism, A Generation in Revolt, London, 1957, illustrated pl. 208 (titled Landscape)
Hans Konrad Röthel, Modern German Painting, London, 1958, illustrated in colour p. 33 (titled Mountains (Around Murnau))
Clemens Weiler, Alexej Jawlensky, Cologne, 1959, no. 571, pl. 35, illustrated p. 179
Clemens Weiler, The Uffici Series in Full Colour - Jawlensky, Milan, 1960, no. 7, illustrated in colour p. 19 (titled Mountains)
Clemens Weiler, Jawlensky, Munich, n.d., no. VI, illustrated in colour
Storia della Pittura, vol. XXVI, Milan, 1966, no. 25, illustrated in colour
Godo Remszhardt, Deutsche Expressionisten der Privatsammlung Hanna Bekker vom Rath, 1968, no. 8, illustrated  (titled Murnau-Landschaft)
Jürgen Schultze, Alexej Jawlensky, Cologne, 1970, no. 18, illustrated
'Special Exhibition', in Mosaic - News & Events from the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, May-June 1989, illustrated in colour p. 1
Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky & Angelica Jawlensky, Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, London, 1991, vol. I, no. 538, illustrated in colour p. 423

The board is stable, very slightly bowed. There are artist's tackholes in the top two corners and a small loss to the top layer of the board in the extreme lower left corner, which is intrinsic to the artist's medium, with an associated very fine line of craquelure. Apart from some very minor nicks at the extreme edges (not visible when framed), this work is in very good condition.Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although brighter and more vibrant 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."

Painted in 1912, Oberstdorf (Gebirge) is a vibrant and powerful composition dating from the height of Jawlensky’s Expressionist style. Made up of patches of strong, vibrant colours delineated in bold black contours, this landscape depicts hills and mountains that appear to be stacked one on top of the other, leading the viewer’s eye from the foreground to the top of the composition. The range of intense blue, yellow and orange tones is typical of Jawlensky’s Expressionist palette that characterised his paintings of this period. The present work, alongside several other dramatic mountainous landscapes (fig. 1), was painted in Oberstdorf, a small town in the Bavarian Alps where Jawlensky stayed in the second half of 1912 with his family and Marianne von Werefkin.

 

In its use of colour and style of execution, the present work draws on a rich tradition of modernist painting, including the art of, among others, Van Gogh, Matisse and Van Dongen. The spontaneous brushstrokes and the juxtaposition of bright and cool tones reflect the influence of Van Gogh and Cézanne. In 1905 Jawlensky’s works were exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in Paris alongside those of the Fauve artists, who were to play the most important role in the development of Jawlensky’s style in the following years. His abandoning of representational function of colour in favour of a more spontaneous, expressive one is strongly reminiscent of Matisse’s landscapes at the height of his Fauve period. Oberstdorf (Gebirge) represents a synthesis of these various artistic influences into a personal and unique pictorial language.

 

Oberstdorf (Gebirge) belonged to the remarkable German painter, art collector and dealer Hanna Bekker vom Rath (1893-1983), who was a fervent supporter of modern art. As a passionate connoisseur, she facilitated secret exhibitions for artists persecuted during the Second World War and in May 1947 founded the Frankfurter Kunstkabinett (fig. 2), the first gallery established in Frankfurt-am-Main after the end of the war. One of the first exhibitions at the Frankfurter Kunstkabinett, held in the same year it was opened, was devoted to Alexej von Jawlensky, and the exhibition programme also included artists such as  Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, August Macke and Oskar Kokoschka. Due to her dedication as an advocate for German art abroad, Hanna Bekker vom Rath was often described as an ‘ambassador of the arts’. She met Jawlensky in 1926 in Wiesbaden, and in 1929 founded the Alexej von Jawlensky Society in order to provide financial support to the artist. Vom Rath and other contributors to the Society occasionally received works by Jawlensky in return for their support. Alongside her tireless work promoting modern art around the world, Hanna Bekker vom Rath also formed an impressive personal collection. Many paintings by Jawlensky from her collection are now housed in the Wiesbaden museum.