Cuno Amiet

Estate Walter Müller, Zurich
Sotheby's, Zurich, 9th June 1993, lot 118
Private collection, Switzerland
Christie's, Zurich, 21st March 2000, lot 121
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Cuno Amiet, Catalogue raisonné der Gemälde, SIK-ISEA Online catalogue, no. 1922.22

Not relined. Minor paint losses in the upper left quadrant. Craquelure mostly visible in the lower left quadrant. Craquelure and minor paint loss above the right tree. Yellow accretion in the right tree. Under UV light no retouching visible. Very good condition.
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Cuno Amiet and his wife Anna settled in Oschwand in 1898 and built their house in 1908. Four years later, the Amiets purchased an adjacent farm house and converted it into a studio, where the majority of Amiet’s oeuvre was created. His garden, the picturesque hilly landscape of the Bernese Mittelland and its people in these environmental surroundings inspired his artistic work. At the time when this painting was created, Amiet already had enjoyed a reputation as a well-known artist and participated in various prestigious exhibitions within and outside of Switzerland. The present work, Blühende Bäume (Blossoming Trees), stands out with its uninhibited paint application, the use of intense colours and the advanced level of abstraction, which make this painting emblematic of Amiet’s works at the beginning of the 1920s. At the same time, it exemplifies his distinct and early expressonist style.

This work is registered in the Swiss Institute for Art Research (SIK-ISEA) under no. 73440.

Seit 1898 lebte das Ehepaar Cuno und Anna Amiet-Luder auf der Oschwand, wo es sich 1908 ein eigenes Haus bauen liess. Vier Jahre später konnten die Amiets den angrenzenden Bauernhof erwerben, den sie als Atelier ausbauen liessen. Der grösste Teil von Amiets Oeuvres entstand auf der Oschwand. Sein Garten, die Schönheit der hügeligen Landschaft des Berner Mittellandes sowie die Menschen seiner Umgebung inspirierten den Maler in seinem künstlerischen Schaffen. Im Entstehungsjahr unseres Gemäldes war Amiet bereits ein berühmter Künstler, der an vielen namhaften Ausstellungen im In- und Ausland teilgenommen hatte. Aufgrund des impulsiven Farbauftrages, des intensiven Kolorits und der weitgehenden Auflösung der Gegenständlichkeit ist unser Gemälde Blühende Bäume ein Höhepunkt in Amiets Malerei der 1920er Jahre und gleichsam eine wunderbare Reminiszenz an seinen eigenständigen und schon früh entwickelten expressionistischen Stil.

Dieses Gemälde ist im Schweizerischen Institut für Kunstwissenschaft (SIK-ISEA) unter der Nummer 73440 inventarisiert.