August Macke

Private Collection, Europe (sale: Sotheby's, London, 6th February 2007, lot 136)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Münster, Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte; Bonn, Städtisches Kunstmuseum & Munich, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, August Macke, Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, 1986-87, no. 339, illustrated in the catalogue
St Petersburg, The State Hermitage Museum, Gegenlicht, 2013-14

Ursula Heiderich, August Macke, Zeichnungen Werkverzeichnis, Stuttgart, 1993, no. 1836, illustrated p. 519

Executed on tracing paper, not laid down and glued intermittently along the edges to the backing sheet. The sheet is time stained. There are paper losses to the upper corners, the lower left corner and in two places along the left edge. There are further nicks to the lower right corner and a small hole towards the upper right corner. There are scattered tears along the edges, some of which have been repaired, and the largest of which are two tears towards the lower right corner (each approximately 6cm. long). This work is in overall fairly good 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."

Executed in 1913, Frau mit Kind und Mädchen auf der Strasse is a wonderful example of August Macke's favourite theme: an atmospheric depiction of a modern paradise represented by figures at leisure, whether in parks, at zoos or ambling along waterside promenades. As a member of the Blaue Reiter group, Macke was drawn to paint modern-life subjects. Unlike other Expressionists such as Kirchner, however, Macke's representations of the city have a softer tone. His depictions of figures going about their day show people who appear to be at ease with their environment. As Wieland Schmied commented: 'August Macke was much more of a wanderer than Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and he walked through the streets of the city as if it were another form of nature. At first the city was nothing more than a nature 'tamed'. He was especially interested in the vegetation, the parks, the zoo with its zebras, herons and parrots... August Macke always presents domesticated nature, the town is permeated by nature, reconciled with her, with an abundance of open spaces and bordered by parks' (Wieland Schmied, German Art in the 20th Century (exhibition catalogue), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1985, p. 36).

Macke was strongly inspired by Robert Delaunay and the tenets of Cubism, as is reflected in the simplified angular forms which make up the composition of the present work Frau mit kind und Mädchen auf der Strasse (Woman with Child and Girls on the Street). The two groupings of female figures are arranged here in overlapping layers, whilst the street is deftly articulated and framed through the emphasised verticals of the trees that meet with the horizontal counterweight of the pavement. An impressive combination of complex spatial construction and expressive application of medium, the overall sense is one of time as both fleeting and eternal.