Leo Putz

Private collection, Switzerland (a gift from the artist); thence by descent
Sale: Galerie Fischer Auktionen, Luzern, 13 June 2007, lot 1134
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

 

The canvas has not been lined. This work is in very good original condition with no sign of retouching visible under ultra-violet light. The work is ready to hang. Presented in a gilt and dark brown frame, with a beige inner slip.
"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 Gauting circa 1925 after the artist's return from exile in the Netherlands during the First World War, this painting exemplifies Putz's freely painted compositions of nudes and bathers by the water's edge. The setting for this and so many of Putz's paintings was the lake country around Schloss Hartmannsberg, where the artist and his family summered annually before the War, and again in the 1920s. 

Putz was born in Merano, at that time in Austria-Hungary, moving with his family to Munich as a boy. He studied at the Munich Academy, and from 1891-92 at the Académie Julian in Paris under William Bouguereau and Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant. Despite his academic training, Putz was far more interested in the avant-garde subjects and impressionistic forms of expression being pioneered by his contemporaries, particularly Gauguin and Renoir, which would inform his own work.

On his return to Munich, Putz exhibited at the Munich Secession in 1895 alongside Franz von Stuck (lot 50), and with Franz Erler (lot 51) formed the avant garde artistic group Die Scholle. He went on to become a Secessionist in Berlin and Vienna, where Gustav Klimt's figural painting had a profound influence on his work. Putz's individualistic style in turn inspired a succeeding generation of German painters, including Lovis Corinth and Edward Cucuel (lot 48).