Wassily Kandinsky

Private Collection, United States
Sale: Sotheby's, London, April 1, 1981, lot 176
Private Collection, Geneva (acquired at the above sale and sold: Sotheby’s, London, December 1, 1992, lot 14)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Munich, Kunstverein, Wassily Kandinsky, 1904
Krefeld, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum and travelling, Austellung der Miinehener Kiinstler-Vereinigung "Phalanx,"  1904-05
New York, Helly Nahmad Gallery, KANDINSKY Sounds of Color, 2004, p. 83, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Will Grohmann, Wassily Kandinsky, Life and Work, London, 1959, no. 54, illustrated p. 343
Vivian Endicott Barnett, Kandinsky Watercolors, Catalogue Raisonné, vol. I, Ithaca, 1992,  no. 128, illustrated p. 135

This painting on Masonite looks very untouched and original. There are a few scratches to the Masonite in the upper left, in the upper center in the sky, in the upper right above the figure group and in a few other places within the main figure group. This work appears to be painted with gouache directly onto the unprimed Masonite. The Masonite itself may have darkened over time. In theory, one could clean the work to reveal a brighter palette. However, because of the very immediate and delicate application of the fickle paint layer, great caution would be required if any cleaning is undertaken. Perhaps some of the scratches to the board should be slightly retouched, but it is recommended that the work not be cleaned for fear that the original paint layer would suffer. The above condition report has been prepared by Simon Parkes, an independent conservator who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
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.

The offered work is number 54 in the 1901-07 series which Kandinsky called "colored drawings." Many of these early works are lost; of the 132 which Kandinsky executed, only forty remain in museums and private collections.

As Vivian Endicott Barnett notes, "The colored drawings...reflect Munich's Jugendstil environment as well as Art Nouveau tendencies in general, as can be seen in the stylization, the relative lack of perspectival depth, the tendency towards the decorative, an interest in applied and decorative arts and a heightened interest in folk art... Another characteristic of the colored drawings is the tendency to stylize the scenery. The figures are rendered as types and not as recognizable individuals. In the colored drawings Kandinsky did not attempt realistic portraiture of a naturalistic representation of landscape; it was the spiritual meaning of the representation which was important to him." (Vivian Endicott Barnett, op. cit., p. 14)

She further notes that Kandinsky's first title for this work was Samstag auf Marken; however, in the Hand list of colored drawings he altered this to the above title: "Marken is a small Dutch fishing village on an island north east of Amsterdam, which is known for its picturesque houses and traditional costumes. Kandinsky and Munter went there on 18th June at the end of their trip to the Netherlands. It is significant that Kandinsky changed the specific title which he first gave the work to a more evocative one, which indicates that the picture was done afterwards" (ibid., p. 135).