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Kirchner Berlin Street Scene
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| Limited Edition:
7 Banners |
| Availability: Sold Out! |
| Price:
$635 |
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| Museum:
Neue Galerie |
| Exhibition:
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Berlin Street Scene |
| Material:
Printed vinyl |
| Dimensions:
L: 98 " (249 cm) : W:35 "
(89 cm) |
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Description:
The Neue Galerie's exhibition Ernst Ludwig Kirchner "Berlin Street
Scene" focused on this dramatic work and it's place in Kirchner's
oeuvre. More than just an Expressionist masterpiece it is also a work that
marks Kirchner's forays into the metropolis of Berlin. The work is also
autobiographical - the man who turns his head away from the two women is a
cubist self-portrait of the artist himself.
Like other modern works from Germany and Austria, this painting has a rich
and muddled history of ownership and sale. It hung for over 20 years in the
Brucke Museum in Berlin, but was recently returned to the heirs of the
original Jewish owners, Alfred and Tekla Hess, who were believed to have
sold the work under Nazi duress. Though records indicate that the work was
sold to a Frankfurt collector, Carl Hagemann, in 1936 or 1937, no receipt
for the sale can be found, and there is no evidence that proceeds from the
transaction actually reached the family. Critics of the restitution claim
that the work was sold willingly due to the family's financial problems, not
due to persecution by the Nazis. Disputes notwithstanding, the Berlin state
senate decided to return the work to Hess's heirs, and it was sold at
Christie's in 2006 for $38.1 million. Ronald Lauder purchased the painting
and added the masterpiece to the Neue Galerie's collection.
Below the image is a black band with white text that reads "Ernst Ludwig
Kirchner/Berlin Street Scene", "July 26 - September 17, 2007", and includes
the museum's information "Neue Galerie/Museum for German and Austrian Art/
New York". Both sides of this banner are identical.
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| Provenance:
These banners were displayed around Manhattan from July 26 through September
17, 2007 to promote the exhibition Ernst Ludwig Kirchner "Berlin Street
Scene". |
About the Artist:
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 - 1938) was a founding member of Die Brucke, a group of German artists who railed against old, established artistic powers and sought a new freedom in their work. In 1910 the group left Leipzig for Berlin, and here Kirchner was confronted with the frenetic pace of city life. He found this both invigorating and overwhelming. As an army volunteer in World War I, Kirchner suffered a nervous breakdown. Though supported by numerous collectors and patrons, he became agitated and distraught by Nazi activity in World War II, and more and more dependent on sleeping pills, pain medication, and alcohol. He committed suicide in 1938.
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| Color Scheme: Warm - Cool - |
| Style: Modern - |
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