Wassily Kandinsky

Nina Kandinsky, Neuilly
Gummesons Konstgalleri, Stockholm (until the mid-1930s)
Gregor Aronowitsch, Stockholm (acquired by 1976)
A.B. Stockholms Auktionsverk (acquired by 1985)
Galerie Rosenbach, Hanover (acquired by 1985 and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 12, 1987, lot 128)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Salle des fêtes, Exposition des beaux-arts de Paris-Province, 1905, n.n.
Berlin, Secession XII, XI. Ausstellung, 1906, no. 12
Odessa, Ausstellung der Vereinigung südrussischer Künstler, 1907, no. 94
Berlin, Der Sturm, Kandinsky Kollektiv-Ausstellung, 1912, no. 33, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Stockholm, Kandinsky, 1932, no. 5, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Tokyo, Fuji Television Gallery, Wassily Kandinsky, 1989, n.n., illustrated in color in the catalogue

Will Grohmann, Wassily Kandinsky, Life and Work, New York, 1958, no. 649, incorrectly illustrated p. 403 
Donald E. Gordon, Modern Art Exhibitions 1900-1916, vol. II, Munich, 1978, p. 181
Vivian Endicott Barnett, Kandinsky, Watercolours, Catalogue Raisonné, vol. I, New York, 1992, no. 140, illustrated p. 140

This work is in overall good condition. Executed on black paper, laid down on board by the artist. There is an artist's pinhole to each of the four corners and the sheet is timestained.
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.

Depicting an idyllic scene of boats moored within the calm of a harbor, Die Schiffe (Holland) was executed at a time of both creative and personal transition for Kandinsky. In September 1904 the artist had separated from his first wife, Anya, and proceeded to embark on an extensive trip around Europe with his new companion, Gabriele Münter. The pair visited Berlin, Odessa, Tunis and Paris as well as Holland, where the present work was created. The delicately rendered windmill—a universally recognized and celebrated icon of the Netherlands—that can be glimpsed in the background behind the boats effectively imbues Die Schiffe (Holland) with its indelible sense of place.

Throughout 1903-04, Kandinsky had moved away from the creation of more traditional portraits and landscapes, painted in a thickly impastoed oil technique, in favor of a highly distinctive style and subject matter that embraced the fantastical world of medieval myth and legend. These scenes were usually executed against a dark background, a technique which endows the colors with particular intensity. Jelena Hahl-Koch argues that the gray or black backgrounds employed by Kandinsky within his work during this time “are in a sense the equivalent of the gold backgrounds in Russian icons: black and gold both seem more ‘immaterial’ backgrounds than white” (Jelena Hahl-Koch, Kandinsky, London, 1993, p. 92). Although Die Schiffe (Holland) appears to depict a place from Kandinsky’s own experience rather than one drawn entirely from the imagination, there is a sense of timeless enchantment to this exquisitely rendered scene which connects Die Schiffe (Holland) to other significant works by the artist from this period, such as Volga Song (see fig. 1).