Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Estate of the artist
Sale: Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett, Stuttgart, November 26, 1955, lot 1306
Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above in 1968

Bern, Kunstmuseum, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1933, no. 85
Hamburg, Kunstverein; Hannover, Kestner-Gesellschaft & Bremen, Kunsthalle, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Werke aus dem Nachlass zum ersten Male in Deutschland aus Anlass seines 70. Geburtstages, 1950-51, no. 28
Los Angeles, Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, The German Expressionists, 1958, n.n., illustrated in the catalogue

Werner Schmalenbach, "Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Ansprache gehalten anlässlich der Eröffnung der Kirchner-Ausstellung in der Galerie d'Art Moderne, Basel, Oktober 1947" in Werk, Germany, 1948, illustrated p. 23
Donald E. Gordon, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1968, no. 910, illustrated p. 398

This canvas has been lined both with canvas and with wax concealing the artist's signature and date on the reverse of the original canvas. A few scattered fine lines of craquelure most noticeable in the yellow and white pigments. Minor pindot losses have occurred in and around the flower at center right, as well as within the handle of the vase and areas of associated lifting are visible in these areas but have been stabilized. Very minor frame abrasion is visible to the extreme edges of the canvas. Under UV light certain original pigments fluoresce and several small strokes of inpainting are visible scattered throughout the composition most notably on and around the stem of the central flower, to the lower left of the handle of the vase, and to the white pigment of the lower edge of the table. This work is in fair and stable condition and may be hung as is.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted in 1928, Blumenvase is an exceptional example of Kirchner's mature post-war style. By 1924 Kirchner had moved permanently to the Wildboden area of Switzerland at the mouth of the Sertig Valley and was deeply inspired by the surrounding countryside. During this period his style transformed and he began to express his ideas in a more abstract manner, seeing the canvas as a two-dimensional arena for decoration. In Blumenvase, geometric ornamentation is introduced without a representational purpose, such as in the lower left corner, and color planes are freed of their outlines in order to unify the space. The elements of a still life are decoratively composed and rendered in deep blue and yellow hues. Indeed, Kirchner was well aware of other avant-garde artistic developments around Europe, even in the relative seclusion of the mountainous Swiss countryside. In 1925 he visited an exhibition of contemporary art in Zurich that featured works by his fellow Brücke members as well as Picasso and Braque. He left with a favorable impression of their work, stating: “The best and most unique is certainly Picasso, he strives for form in the old paintings as in the new ones” (quoted in David E. Gordon, op. cit., p. 132). Gordon further discusses the artist's transformation of style: “One of the unexpected aspects of the abstract style…is its potential for expressional variation; color especially becomes capable of conveying various moods... In general, the style with which he concluded the 1920s achieves a content of subtly lyrical evocation appropriate to the abstract pictorial means employed” (ibid., p. 136).