- 142
Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Description
- Friedensreich Hundertwasser
- Hana no Hana - Die Nasenblume - Konrad Bayers Tod
- dated 1964, inscribed and numbered 606; signed, titled, dated 1964, numbered 606 and variously inscribed on a label affixed to the reverse
- watercolour, polyvinyl, hemp and oil on paper laid down on canvas
- 57 by 49.5cm.; 22 1/2 by 19 1/2 in.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the Konrad Bayer Estate by Fritz J. Raddatz, Hamburg
Exhibited
Paris, Galerie Karl Flinker; London, Hanover Gallery; Geneva, Galerie Krugier; Berlin, Kunstverein, Hundertwasser, 1967, n.p., illustrated
Literature
Werner Hofmann, Hundertwasser, Salzburg 1965, n.p. and cover, illustrated in colour
Exhibition Catalogue: Munich, Haus der Kunst, Hundertwasser – Friedensreich – Regentag, 1975, p. 221, illustrated in colour
Dieter Lattmann, Ed., Kindlers Literaturgeschichte der Gegenwart, Munich 1976, p. 213, illustrated in colour
Exhibition Catalogue: Warsaw, Muzeum Narodowe, Hundertwasser, 1976, p. 221, illustrated in colour
Exhibition Catalogue: Pfaffikon, Seedamm-Kulturzentrum, Hundertwasser, 1979, p. 221, illustrated in colour
Exhibition Catalogue: Cologne, Museum Ludwig; Vienna, Secession; Graz, Kulturhaus, Hundertwasser, 1980-81, p. 247, illustrated in colour
Fritz Joachim Raddatz, Süchtig nach Kunst, Regensburg 1995, p. 10, illustrated
Barbara Baumeister, Das Paradies liegt um die Ecke, Munich 2002, p. 39, illustrated in colour
Andrea Christa Fürst, Hundertwasser, Catalogue Raisonné 1928 - 2000, Cologne 2002, Vol. II, p. 487, no. 606, illustrated in colour
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. 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."
Catalogue Note
The first part of the title – Hana No Hana – refers to the Japanese word Hana, which signifies both flower and nose. The nose is depicted as a giant flower with spirals that exude a rich spectrum of colours ranging from rich black and blue tones to hues of lighter yellow and pale red. The white stalk is still visible with two small leafs on the right side of the flower. A wave-like flow of colour encapsulates Bayer’s entire face as if the scent of the flower streams through every pore of his skin. On the significance of the spiral, Hundertwasser wrote: “The spiral stands for life and death in any direction. From the inside out, it runs in the direction of birth, of life, and then on through apparent dissolution into what is too large, into the extraterrestrial, into a realm that cannot be measured” (Friedensreich Hundertwasser quoted in: Andrea Christa Fürst, ibid., p. 28). The face indeed appears bloated, flat, and broad, as if the noxious scent of the flower slowly spread out through the spirals to turn the face into a pale, pink, and cold appearance. As if Bayer was following the order of Hundertwasser’s painting – which hung in his flat at the time – he committed suicide by sniffing gas at the age of 32. The flower and its scent are thus transformed into an allegory of death, eating through the nose and turning the facial flesh outward. The narrowing eyes are rendered with red rings as the flower slowly takes over the face. The nostrils, eyelids, pupils, and mouth are coloured in silver, gold, and black – the funeral colours in Europe at the time.
Both subject matter as well as the important provenance of this work are testament to the connection between art and literature. After Bayer’s death, Hundertwasser wished that the painting remained with the German publisher and essayist Fritz J. Raddatz. Raddatz, a prominent and charismatic figure in the German literary world, had initially discovered Bayer. He became a close friend of Hundertwasser when publishing several of Bayer’s books with illustrations by Hundertwasser, amongst others the present work as a frontispiece in Bayer’s most famous novel “The Sixth Sense”. The painting remained in the possession of Raddatz until his death in 2015.
Hana No Hana – The Nose-Flower – Konrad Bayer’s Death is a powerful and emotionally charged work that conveys Hundertwasser’s mastery to transform the suggestive into a visual amalgam of spirals that transcend the boundary between life and death. Given the rich history and significance, Hana No Hana – The Nose-Flower – Konrad Bayer’s Death is an exceptional and important work within Hundertwasser’s oeuvre.