Königstein/Taunus, November 2011 -Barely no collector could elude him/herself of the magic of the immediacy and personality of a hand drawing – Let it be the “Non –finito” of a sketch, a study of the 17th, a perfected image drawing of the 19th century or a contemporary, autonomous work. On the occasion of the 40th company anniversary of Reiss & Sohn the upcoming auction is offering a remarkable selection of works on paper, especially within the category of hand drawings.
Vehement pathos is dominating the painting “The wife of Potiphar seducing Joseph”, originated in the chiaroscuro - tradition of the Bolognese school at the end of the 17th century (estimate € 4.000). For the genre of portraits within the department of painting there is to mention the half length portrait of a young woman. Painted by a Swiss artist of the 19th century, concerning his manner and style it is indebted the realism of Albert Anker as well regarding sujet and effectuation comparable to peasant depictions within the tradition of Leibl (€ 600). With the portrait of Wilhelm Bete by Alexander Sochaczewski (1843-1923) there is going to be announced an outstanding sensitive portrait of the late 19th century (€ 3.000).
Besides the traditional offerings of prints by Rembrandt and Dürer within the department of works on paper from the 15th to the 18th century, there are a number of hand drawings in the centre of attention. The lovely sanguine study for example, depicting the portrait of a young woman in the manner and tender flow which reminds of works from the circle of François Boucher (1703–1770) (€ 1.000). Refered should be as well to a pictorial applied compositon-sketch by an artist of the circle of Charles Le Brun (1619–1690), showing the wives of Darius II in front of Alexander the Great (€ 1.000). As well as a chalk drawing of utmost quality drawn by an artist of the circle of Salomon van Ruysdael (1600–1670) (€ 2.000). Mentioned should be as well a portrait in sanguine and chalk, characteristic of Federico Zucchari (1542- 1609), showing the cardinal Bernardo Dovizi da Bibiena, patron of Raphael and author of the comedy “La Calandra” (€ 1.800). At the section of works on paper of the 19th century one should point out a number of portraits of friendship of artist’s of the “Düsseldorfer Malerschule”. For example the self portrait of the Late-Nazarene artist Josef Kehren (1817-1880) for his collegue Karl Friedrich Boser (1813- 1881). While the latter had drawn numerous portraits of friendly artists of his own, like the landscape– and animal painter Ludwig Kregenbrink (€ 500). Among the watercolours the enormous view of the Scottish Castle Innis Chonnel by Robert Cooper (active 1850) should be mentioned, outstanding for its pictorial conception (€ 1.000). Of interest for collectors of works by Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865-1926), specialized in tropical wildlife, could be the pencil drawing of a Chinese water deer (€ 1.000). But the actual highlight of this department may be the “View of the hilly landscape at the Serpentara near Olevano”. Subtle study of nature and clear tectonics are characterising the drawing by the early deceased Heinrich Reinhold (1788-1825) made during his summer residence in 1824 in Olevano (€ 10.000).
Moreover the department of modern art comes up with an offer of marked diversity as well.
Besides works of Ernst Barlach (1870-1938) and Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), whose lithographs “Die Verlassenen“ und „Die Nachdenkende“ of the nineteen twenties and thirties broach the issue of the afflictions of the First Worl War (€ 1.500 resp. 1.200), there is a extraordinary brush- and pen drawing by Peter August Böckstiegel (1889-1951) which shows one of his constant themes the “Summerly harvest field near Arrode” (€ 3.000). Among the discoveries for collectors of the early Surrealism might be several of the gouache and pen drawings by Edgar Jené (1904-1984), as the depiction of a so called “Kopffüßler” (a figure consisting only of head an feet) of 1947, which should become a famous symbol for the unconscious within the oeuvre of Salvador Dali (€ 700). Of high rareness might be as well the early impressionistic charcoal drawing of a female nude by Francis Picabia (1879-1953) (€ 3.000).
Approved and new artists in the department of contemporary art are likely to attract the collector communities in large parts.
Besides the subtle etchings from the sequence “Ce maudit moi” by Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002) (€ 1.000 resp. 1.200), again works of the artist Fischli & Weiss (*1952/*1946) will be called up. Such as the photography “Balancing chairs”, coming from the aggregation of works called “Equilibres” in 1985, already insinuating the further development of the topic at their legendary movie “Der Lauf der Dinge” (€ 6.000). One of the highlights of this section might be Erhard Göttlicher’s (*1946) cycle of the Nibelungen. These 36 enormous drawings with gouache and watercolour, originated of the preparatory works for the illustration of Jürgen Lodemann’s novel “The murder” in 1995, comparable with a storyboard, are an impressive documentation of the work’s genesis (€ 20.000). The colour etching “1. Theorie der Wiese” of 1988 (€ 1.500) is only one of the 50 lots containing Horst Janssen-Collection of etchings and woodcuts. For collectors of the Neo-surrealist Paul Wunderlich (1927-2010) this autumn sale is offering works of bronze, e.g. the game of chess (€ 1.500) and over fifteen lots out of his lithographical oeuvre of the early nineteen eighties and nineties. The section’s offering will be completed by a rarity: the humorous and excellent drawings by the action- and concept artist Tomas Schmit (1943-2006). His pencil and colourd pencil drawings, called as “Pellkartoffeln” made in 1984 were edited and arranged by the artist himself (€ 8.000).