Ludwig Meidner

Collection B. Lewin, London

Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Roman Norbert Ketterer, Stuttgart, 27-28 November 1958, lot 668 (consigned by the above)

Collection Müller-Oerlinghausen, Kressbronn (acquired from the above sale)

Karl und Faber, Munich, 22-23 May 1969, lot 1203

Galerie Pels-Leusden, Berlin (by 1971-73)

Galerie Meyer Ellinger, Frankfurt

Galerie Gerda Bassenge Berlin, 8-10 November 1977, lot 1572

Collection D. Thomas Bergen, London and New York (acquired from the above sale)

Fisher Fine Art, London

Janet and Marvin Fishman, Milwaukee

Karl & Faber, Munich, 28 October 2010, lot 34 (consigned by the above; their sale)

Private Collection, Northern Germany (acquired at the above sale)

Acquired by descent from the above by the present owner

Recklinghausen, Kunsthalle; Berlin, Haus am Waldsee and Darmstadt, Kunsthalle, Ludwig Meidner, 1963-1964, no. 56, n.p.

Berlin, Galerie Pels-Leusden, Berlin, Die Stadt und ihre Menschen in künstlerischen Zeugnissen aus Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, 1971-1972, no. 119, illustrated on the catalogue cover

Berlin, Galerie Pels-Leusden, Deutsche Meisterzeichnngen der letzten hundert Jahre, 1973, no. 70

Frankfurt, Galerie Meyer Ellinger, Ludwig Meidner, Zeichnungen 1912-1915, 1976, no. 1

Minneapolis, University of Minnesota, University Art Museum, Berlin: Art and Metropolis: Works on Paper, 1912-1932, 1987, no. 12, n.p.

Darmstadt, Mathildenhöhe, Ludwig Meidner, Zeichner, Maler, Literat, 1884 - 1966, vol. II, Stuttgart, 1991, n.n., p. 87, illustrated

Thomas Grochowiak, Ludwig Meidner, Recklinghausen 1966, no. 8, p. 32

• Depicts the Gasometer in Schöneberg, Berlin, one of the defining industrial structures of the era.
• Executed with explosive energy, capturing the dynamic anxiety of pre-war German Expressionism.
• A study on paper, showcasing the intense draughtsmanship characteristic of Meidner's Expressionist vision.

The present work, Schöneberg (Gasometer), is a forceful and immediate drawing that captures the urban intensity of Berlin just before the First World War. Executed in pencil and charcoal on paper, the composition centers on the massive, cylindrical form of the Gasometer, a symbol of modern industrial power and infrastructure. Meidner employs bold, diagonal lines and frenetic hatching, rendering the surrounding buildings and the sky with dynamic urgency. The black and white medium emphasizes the dramatic contrast between light and shadow, creating a tumultuous atmosphere that mirrors the psychic unease underlying the city’s rapid expansion. This intense draughtsmanship elevates the industrial subject into a scene charged with nervous energy.

This drawing is a wonderful example of Meidner’s known style and technique, perfectly encapsulating the explosive aesthetic of the German Expressionist movement. It belongs to the pivotal moment when Meidner moved away from portraits and dedicated himself to the ‘City Landscape’ (Stadtslandschaften), viewing the modern metropolis not as a setting for bourgeois life but as a symbol of imminent rupture and chaos. The raw power of the charcoal directly prefigure his most famous Apocalyptic Landscapes (1913–1914). This work shows Meidner honing the visual vocabulary that defined his contribution to the Expressionist avant-garde.

Ludwig Meidner is recognized as a central figure in German Expressionism, and his work is held in international collections. His institutional significance has been reaffirmed by dedicated surveys, including the major exhibition Ludwig Meidner: Drawings and Works on Paper at the Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, in 2017. Furthermore, his works are fundamental to collections focused on early 20th-century German art, such as the Neue Galerie, New York, and the Brücke-Museum, Berlin.