PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION
Albert Birkle
SELBSTBILDNIS MIT DER FRISIERHAUBE (SELF-PORTRAIT WITH HAIRNET)
Details & Cataloguing
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Albert Birkle
1900 - 1986
SELBSTBILDNIS MIT DER FRISIERHAUBE (SELF-PORTRAIT WITH HAIRNET)
signed A. Birkle and dated 23 (lower right); signed twice, inscribed Treptow and Der schwäbische Kerle / in den bayrischen Bergen / (mit der Frisierhaube) on the reverse
oil on board
45 by 36.1cm., 17 5/8 by 14 1/4 in.
Painted in 1923.
Read Condition Report
Read Condition Report
oil on board
45 by 36.1cm., 17 5/8 by 14 1/4 in.
Painted in 1923.
We would like to thank Roswita and Victor Pontzen, Archive Albert Birkle, Salzburg, for their assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.
Provenance
Neue Münchner Galerie (Richard Hiepe), Munich (acquired from the artist in 1977)
Private Collection, Germany (acquired from the above in 1978)
Sale: Ketterer, Munich, 14th May 2004, lot 200
Private Collection, Germany (purchased at the above sale)
Sale: Ketterer, Munich, 19th June 2009, lot 267
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Private Collection, Germany (acquired from the above in 1978)
Sale: Ketterer, Munich, 14th May 2004, lot 200
Private Collection, Germany (purchased at the above sale)
Sale: Ketterer, Munich, 19th June 2009, lot 267
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Catalogue Note
Born in Berlin in 1900 to an artistic family, Albert Birkle’s early work was often closely associated in tone and subject matter to that of the Neue Sachlichkeit artists George Grosz and Otto Dix. Depicted bust length, in three-quarter view and amongst an outdoor setting, Birkle also refers back to the patrician portraits of the Renaissance masters, such as Giovanni Bellini, who wanted to present their subjects as belonging to the world at large. Renowned in particular for his visceral and expressive portraits which sometimes hovered on the verge of cruel caricature, Birkle originally trained as a decorative painter before studying at the University of Fine Arts in Berlin between 1918 and 1924. Although Birkle was celebrated enough within Germany to represent the country at the Venice Biennale in 1936, the changing political climate of the time made life increasingly difficult for him. In 1937 his art was declared ‘degenerate’ and he was forbidden from painting, although he was able to carry out commissions as a war artist during the Second World War. Following the end of the conflict, Birkle focussed increasingly on creating religious scenes and decorations for churches.
Painted in 1923, Selbstbildnis mit der Frisierhaube (Self-portrait with Hairnet) is an assured representation of a young artist at the very beginning of his career. The reference to Der schwäbische Kerle as part of the inscription alludes to his family’s Swabian ancestry.
Painted in 1923, Selbstbildnis mit der Frisierhaube (Self-portrait with Hairnet) is an assured representation of a young artist at the very beginning of his career. The reference to Der schwäbische Kerle as part of the inscription alludes to his family’s Swabian ancestry.
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