Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Woodcut, 1918, second state of three, signed in pencil, on wove paper watermarked UTO =BLOTTING, with margins slightly reduced along edges of sheet (irregularly trimmed along right edge), the image in good condition, the lower left tip of sheet has been made up, a short horizontal tear at lower right edge of sheet (now partly backed), other short nicks at edges of sheet, a pale water-stain in upper right margin, not touching the image, two rubbed spots in the left margin, skinned along edges of sheet verso

Hanna Bekker vom Rath, Hofheim am Taunus (at least since 1950)
By descent from the above to the present owner

Condition as catalogued. There are some minor restorations along the edges and in the margins. The mentioned tear at lower right measures approx. 22mm, there are two short nicks at left edge of sheet and one at lower right corner of sheet, the water-stain measures approx 80 by 80mm, two pin holes at upper corners, a horizontal crease at upper left and right edge of sheet. Occasional further handling creases.
"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."

In 1918, on the heels of a convalescence spent surrounded by the Swiss mountains and recovering from the atrocities of the First World War, Kirchner wrote to Gustave Schiefler "The world of the mountains has so changed me that I have to start again from the beginning.  Writing and drawing are too unclear and confused, but the knife, held in both hands, enables me to make more or less a steady stroke, although some of the planes become too disintegrated owing to my fatigue." This surety of stroke is particularly evident in Kirchner's evocative portrait of the Frankfurt art-dealer Ludwig Schames in which it is the medium which best expresses the emotion of the portrait.  The force of the gouged marks and cross-hatchings, the uneven printing, and the unusual composition lend this portrait a sense of immediacy and expressivity typical of the best of Kirchner's Expressionist works.

The present work was acquired by the remarkable German painter, world-traveller, art collector and dealer, Hanna Bekker vom Rath (1893-1983), who was a fervent supporter of modern art. As a passionate connoisseur, she facilitated secret exhibitions for persecuted artists during the Second World War and subsequently founded the Frankfurter Kunstkabinett in May 1947, the first gallery established in Frankfurt am Main after the end of the war. Her exhibiton programme included artists such as Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, August Macke and Oskar Kokoschka. Due to her dedication as an advocate for German art abroad, people often described vom Rath as an 'ambassador of the arts'.