Wassily Kandinsky

Estate of the artist
Heinrich Kirchhoff, Wiesbaden (acquired from the above in December, 1931)
New Gallery, New York (by 1957)
Saidenberg Gallery, New York (1957-60)
Eugene Victor Thaw, New York (acquired in 1960)
Grosvenor Gallery, London
Sale: Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, November 6, 1979, lot 234
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

New York, The New Gallery, Wassily Kandinsky: Paintings of 1905-1940, 1961, no. 17, illustrated in the catalogue

Artist's Handlist, Watercolours, listed as "vii 1931, 425, Eckig"
Vivian Endicott Barnett, Kandinsky Watercolours, Catalogue Raisonné 1922-1944, vol. II, London, 1994, no. 1035, illustrated p. 308

Very good condition. Executed on cream wove paper laid down on card. One tiny dot of foxing above center of lower edge and another at upper left edge. There is a nail-head sized irregularity at lower right corner, which may be the result of a small repair with associated retouching. Colors slightly brighter and richer with deeper contrast in the original.
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.

Eckig, executed in 1931, is a striking example of Kandinsky's oeuvre created during his time as a teacher at the Bauhaus. His use of geometrical shapes as opposed to the free-floating forms and lines that characterized his work from the previous years in Russia, reflects the influential Bauhaus aesthetics that Kandinsky discusses in his important theoretical publication Punkt und Linie zur Fläche (Point and Line to Plane) of 1926.

Kandinsky's deep theosophical interests necessitated his desire to create a renewal of the arts. Championing the autonomy of color, the painter believed that all arts were capable of attaining an equal level of spirituality, achieving thus a synthesis of universal content. Fascinated by the effect of color and form, Eckig fully encapsulates the style of his Bauhaus period with its abstract geometric language and palette, while still bearing an element of symbolism in its composition.