George Grosz

Louis W. Black, Boston
Busch-Reisinger Museum of German Culture, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts (a gift from the above in 1955; sale: Kornfeld & Klipstein, Bern, 25th May 1962, lot 407)
Rebecca & Raphael Soyer, New York (purchased at the above sale)
Joseph S. Lieber, New York (acquired in 1990 by descent from the above)
Sale: Christie's, London, 20th May 1990, lot 535
Lafayette Parke Gallery, New York (acquired in 1994)
Salander-O'Reilly Gallery, New York (acquired in 1995)
Forum Gallery, New York (acquired in 2001)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Venice, XVII Biennale di Venezia, Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte, 1930, no. 29 (titled Ragazza seduta)
New York, Forum Gallery & E. V. Thaw & Co., Berlin 1912-1932, 1964, no. 55 (titled Woman with Blue Beads)
Huntington, New York, Heckscher Museum, George Grosz: Works in Oil, 1977, no. 5, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Seated Woman and as dating from 1926)
Mannheim, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Neue Sachlichkeit, Bilder auf der Suche nach der Wirklichkeit. Figurative Malerei der zwanziger Jahre, 1994-95, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Sitzende Frau, Lotte Schmalhausen and as dating from 1926)
Berlin, Neue Nationalgalerie (& travelling in Germany), George Grosz: Berlin - New York, 1994-95, no. IX.25, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (titled Sitzende Frau, as dating from 1926 and with incorrect measurements)
New York, Forum Gallery, Radical Views: George Grosz, Philip Evergood, 1998, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
New York, Galerie St. Etienne, George Grosz, Elfriede Lohse Wächtler, Art & Gender in Weimar Germany, 1998, no. 26 (titled Lotte Schmalhausen)

Charles L. Kuhn, German Expressionism and Abstract Art: The Harvard Collections, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1957, illustrated p. 10 (titled Seated Woman)

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals some well-executed fine lines of retouching throughout the composition. There are some fine lines of craquelure and areas of stable paint shrinkage in places, and some light frame rubbing to the extreme left, right and lower edges. Otherwise, this work is in overall fairly good condition. Colours: overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue.
"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."

The subject of the present work is Charlotte (Lotte) Schmalhausen, who was Grosz’s sister-in-law and the wife of the painter Otto Schmalhausen. According to Ralph Jentsch: ‘The sisters Eva and Lotte Peter, whom George Grosz and Otto Schmalhausen had married in 1920, repeatedly sat as single models for the painter and were also used by him to depict naked playmates. This painting shows Lotte Schmalhausen, the blond one of the two sisters, who was a professional photographer in Berlin, [and used] her plate-back camera to photograph Grosz’s work, above all the oil paintings, in his studio.’

 

Sitzendes Mädchen (Lotte Schmalhausen) was first exhibited in 1930 at the Venice Biennale. According to Ralph Jentsch, Dr Hans Posse, who was the director of the Gemälde Galerie in Dresden and the commissioner for the Venice Biennale, visited Grosz’s studio and personally selected the present work for the 1930 exhibition.