GEORGE GROSZ (1893 - 1959) | John der Frauenmörder (John the Murderer of Women)

Neue Kunst, Munich (acquired in 1920)
Sale: Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett, Stuttgart, May 3, 1961, lot 100
Norman Ganz, Geneva
Private Collection (and sold: Sotheby’s, London, November 29, 1989, lot 445)
William Louis-Dreyfus, Mt. Kisco, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired by the Louis-Dreyfus Family Collections by inheritance from the above in 2016

New York, New York Studio School, George Grosz: Works on Paper, 1913-1925, 2013, illustrated in the catalogue

Hans Hess, George Grosz, London, 1974, no. 63, illustrated p. 80

This work is in very good condition. Executed on thick cream wove paper. The sheet is mounted at multiple places along the top edge of its verso. Inscribed "Grosz 1918", titled and inscribed in German on the verso by another hand. The colors are bright and fresh. There is a slight undulation to the sheet consistent with the application of the medium. A few minor stains and studio transference to the extreme edges.
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 present watercolor is a study for a painting of the same title and date (see fig. 1). In 1917, Grosz began to draw satirical drawings reflecting the emotions he felt on witnessing the political situation ensuing in Germany. As described by the George Grosz scholar Hans Hess: “During 1918…the subject which occupied Grosz most was the slayer of woman—at least three different versions were painted. The Hamburg picture is a coherent and wholly original composition which marks Grosz as a master of twentieth-century painting. He shares with Chagall a deliberate, naïve sophistication, a dream-like floating recollection. But there the similarity ends, though the bouquet of flowers is a touch of Chagall. Where ideal love floats through Chagall, in Grosz, fear, death and destruction have found their colours and shapes. A mechanical figurine quality is shared by the articulated victim and the propelled murderer. The deed is suspended between heaven and earth” (Hans Hess, op.cit., p. 74).  



The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Ralph Jentsch.