Paul Klee

Lily Klee, Bern (acquired in 1940)
Klee-Gesellschaft, Bern (acquired from the above in 1946)
Galerie Rosengart, Luzern (acquired from the above in 1949)
Richard Doetsch-Benziger, Basel (acquired from the above in 1953 and sold in 1958)
Sale: Kunstkabinett, Stuttgart, May 20-21, 1960, lot 280
Galerie Beyeler, Basel (acquired in 1960)
Umberto Agnelli, Paris & Turin (acquired in 1962)
David Caritt Ltd, London
Galerie Est-Ouest S.A.R.L., Toyko (acquired in 1990)
Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, Sammlung Richard Doetsch-Benzinger. Malerei, Zeichnung und Plastik des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, 1956, no. 172
London, Artemis Fine Arts, Ltd., Paul Klee 1879-1940, 1989, no. 15

Margit Bosshard-Reb-Rebmann, Paul Klee: Sammlung Richard Doetsch-Benziger, Basel, Basel, 1953, no. 11 
Annegret Janda, "Paul Klee und Nationalgalerie 1919-1937," Akten Dresden, Dresden, 1986, p. 48
Paul Klee Foundation, Ed., Paul Klee Catalogue Raisonné 1931-1933, vol. 4, Bern, 2000, no. 4201, illustrated p. 508

Excellent condition. The board has been gessoed on the reverse, and a stretcher has been added to the reverse for support. The surface is coated in a somewhat waxy looking varnish which is most likely applied by the artist; the artist's brushstrokes are evident through the varnish. Nine nail heads are visible along extreme left and lower edges. There are two small losses to the pigment near the upper and lower left corners. Under UV light: no inpainting is apparent.
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.

Following the architect Walter Gropius' invitation to teach at the Bauhaus, Klee moved to Weimar in 1921, and to Dessau five years later, and the time spent working and teaching there was to be the most innovative and productive of his career. Inspired by the Bauhaus belief in constructivist art, Klee's work became increasingly abstract and geometricized, and Siedelung am Steinbruch is a magnificent example of this new direction in his art, coupled with the poetic quality always present in his work. Here, the artist has combined the technique of oil painting with subtle impasto. By depicting the architectural elements and geometric patterns against a flat, nearly monochromatic background, Klee created a combination of pictorial and linguistic signs, characteristic of hieroglyphs and other ancient scripts.

Verging between abstraction and figuration, Klee's delicately incised lines create a rhythmic, poetic pattern combining abstract lines with shapes evocative of nature. The artist's son Felix Klee described his father's favorite outing to Wörlitz near Dessau, which inspired his depictions of plants and gardens: "...it was surrounded by an enchanting park full of lakes and watercourses that made the visitor forget the monotony of the surrounding Elbe flatlands. We strolled past Aeolian harps and exotic giant trees, across rickety footbridges, and took the ferries to the islands. Here Paul Klee was thoroughly in his element, and many of his pictures with plant or water subjects were the outcome of visits to this wonderful park" (quoted in Roland Doschka, Paul Klee, Munich, 2001, p. 210).

Fig. 1, Paul Klee in his Bauhaus studio, Weimar, 1925