- 124
Paul Klee
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Paul Klee
- Geschöpf aus der Moor Gegend D (Creature of the Moorland D)
- Signed Klee (lower right); dated 1939, numbered CD 14 and titled Geschöpf aus der Moor Gegend D (on the artist's mount)
- Gouache and colored crayon on paper
- Image: 8 1/4 by 12 7/8 in. 21 by 32.6 cm
- Mount: 9 7/8 by 14 1/8 in. 25 by 35.9 cm
Provenance
Lily Klee, Bern (acquired in 1940)
Klee-Gesellschaft, Bern (acquired from the above in 1946)
Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne (acquired from the above in 1951)
Saidenberg Gallery, Inc., New York (acquired from the above in 1951)
Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne (acquired from the above in 1953)
Christoph Bernoulli, Basel (acquired circa 1953)
Curt Valentine Gallery, New York
G. David Thompson, Pittsburgh
Justin K. Thannhauser, Munich, New York & Paris (acquired by 1959)
Hans Neumann, Caracas (acquired from the above in December 1959)
Thence by descent
Klee-Gesellschaft, Bern (acquired from the above in 1946)
Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne (acquired from the above in 1951)
Saidenberg Gallery, Inc., New York (acquired from the above in 1951)
Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne (acquired from the above in 1953)
Christoph Bernoulli, Basel (acquired circa 1953)
Curt Valentine Gallery, New York
G. David Thompson, Pittsburgh
Justin K. Thannhauser, Munich, New York & Paris (acquired by 1959)
Hans Neumann, Caracas (acquired from the above in December 1959)
Thence by descent
Exhibited
Caracas, Museo de Bellas Artes, Paul Klee, 1969, no. 11, illustrated in the catalogue
Literature
The Paul Klee Foundation & Museum of Fine Arts, Bern, eds., Paul Klee Catalogue Raisonné 1939, vol. 8, Bern, 2001, no. 8720, illustrated p. 450
Condition
Executed on wove paper, affixed to the artist's mount around the perimeter on verso. Bottom edge is deckled; other edges are cut. Sheet is undulated. A few tiny creases scattered near the perimeter of the work and a faint possible repaired tear extending from the top edge near the right corner down to the top of the figure's head. The mount has remnants from a prior framing around its extreme perimeter, otherwise fine. This work is in good condition.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Reflecting on Klee’s ability to represent the concrete through the abstract Lisa Dennison writes: “Klee deliberately embodied polar opposites in his oeuvre. His style played between the organic and the geometric, the linear and the chromatic, the analytic and the spontaneous; his imagery encompassed representation and abstraction, the personal and the universal, the terrestrial and the cosmic, all within a profoundly harmonic whole” (in Paul Klee At The Guggenheim Museum (exhibition catalogue), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1993, p. 10).
At the heart of Klee’s distinct and methodical approach was his belief that his art was a manifestation of his inner-most self. The complex beauty of his works became the basis for his reputation as one of the great intellectual painters of the twentieth century. According to Andrew Kagan, “Klee’s greatness as a colorist and his gifts as a draftsman embrace a truly extraordinary range and diversity. His seemingly tireless experimentation and his astounding inventiveness are among his distinctive characteristics, but they make his mature work rather difficult to grasp and understand in its entirely. Klee may seem to be everywhere at once, with the most random approaches. It must be understood that his ultimate ambitions embraced the concept of an art that would resolve all apparent contradiction, an art that would reconcile all dualities and oppositions—in other works, an art of ultimate synthesis. ‘Truth,’ he declared, ‘demands that all elements be present at once’” (ibid., pp. 26-27).
At the heart of Klee’s distinct and methodical approach was his belief that his art was a manifestation of his inner-most self. The complex beauty of his works became the basis for his reputation as one of the great intellectual painters of the twentieth century. According to Andrew Kagan, “Klee’s greatness as a colorist and his gifts as a draftsman embrace a truly extraordinary range and diversity. His seemingly tireless experimentation and his astounding inventiveness are among his distinctive characteristics, but they make his mature work rather difficult to grasp and understand in its entirely. Klee may seem to be everywhere at once, with the most random approaches. It must be understood that his ultimate ambitions embraced the concept of an art that would resolve all apparent contradiction, an art that would reconcile all dualities and oppositions—in other works, an art of ultimate synthesis. ‘Truth,’ he declared, ‘demands that all elements be present at once’” (ibid., pp. 26-27).