Willi Baumeister

Private Collection, Hannover
Galerie Brockstedt, Hamburg
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1986

Cologne, Deutscher Künstlerbund, Willi Baumeister, 1952, n.p., no. 12, illustrated

John A. Thwaites, 'Willi Baumeister' in: Art-Digest, Vol. 28, 1954, p. 13, illustrated
Will Groham, Willi Baumeister Leben und Werk, Cologne 1963, p. 336, no. 1475, illustrated
Peter Beye and Felicitas Baumeister, Willi Baumeister Werkkatalog der Gemälde, Vol. II, Ostfildern-Ruit 2002, p. 763, no. 1930, illustrated

   

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is deeper and richer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are two diagonal rub marks towards the top centre of the top left quadrant, visible in the catalogue illustration. Close inspection reveals a very small loss 1 cm long towards the top left corner and a number of nail holes at intervals to the top and left extreme edges, inherent to the artist's working process, some of which have been filled in. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals two small areas of restoration towards the centre of the black element.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Phantom Mit Rot is a magnificent example of Willi Baumeister's Faust and Phantom series (1952-1955). Baumeister reacted to the end of the Second World War with a great need for a return to optimism and in his more mature works moved to brighter and more positive compositions that display a bold vitality and youthfulness of mood. In Phantom Mit Rot the contrast between a large field of black and bright, primary-coloured elements creates a harmonious and positive composition.

Both surreal and dreamlike, yet deeply rooted in the shapes of primordial nature, the elements in Phantom Mit Rot are rich in their colourful exuberance and their evocation of a universe just beyond the brink of consciousness. As Will Grohmann says: "The image we see may be the product partly of cosmic experience, partly of the individual experience of a passing instant. But in Baumeister's case what counted most in that experience was the archetypal factor. The older he grew the closer he got to the region of the springs that feed man's creative powers without seeking any particular form" (Will Grohmann, Willi Baumeister Life and Work, London 1964, p. 64).
Baumeister reached mature recognition in the post-war period, and in 1952 – the year of the present work's execution – he held his first solo show in New York at the Hacker Gallery and was invited to exhibit at the XXVI Venice Biennale.