保羅·克利

Lily Klee, Bern
Galerie Beyeler, Basel (until 1964)
Horst Pavel, Bad Homburg (acquired from the above in 1964)
Private Collection, Germany (by descent from the above. Sold: Sotheby's, London, 28th June 1999, lot 25)
Private Collection, New York

Berlin, Nationalgalerie, Kronprinzenpalais, Paul Klee, 1923
London, The Tate Gallery in the National Gallery, Paul Klee, 1945, no. 42
Venice, Museo d'Arte Moderna Ca'Pesaro & Milan, Palazzo Reale, Paul Klee nelle collezioni private, 1986, no. 44, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Düsseldorf, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen & Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie, Paul Klee: Im Zeichen der Teilung, 1995, no. 86, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Der Sturm, Berlin, 1923, vol. 14, no. III, illustrated in colour p. 41
Willi Wolfradt, 'Berliner Ausstellungen', in Der Cicerone, 1923, vol. 15, no. IV, p. 194
Georg Brühl, Herwarth Walden und 'Der Sturm', Cologne, 1983, no. 157, illustrated in colour p. 149
Paul Klee Foundation (ed.), Paul Klee, Catalogue Raisonné, Bonn, 1999, vol. 3, no. 2437, illustrated p. 207
Maler des 'Blauen Reiter'/Paul Klee/Deutsche Expressionisten (exhibition catalogue), Schlossmuseum, Murnau, 2006, illustrated in colour p. 96

The paper is laid down on the artist's original mount, which is providing stable support. There are some very small scattered spots of retouching covering pigment loss, most notably in the brown area in the lower right, in the red area just above it and in the orange area at the centre of the left edge. Apart from some discolouration of the artist's mount, this work is in good condition. Colours: In comparison with the printed catalogue illustration, the colours are overall less red and the orange tones are richer and more pronounced in the original.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Klee’s Giftbeeren is a joyful, vibrantly coloured work verging between abstraction and figuration. The composition is built of bold patches of colour combined with delicate lines evocative of nature, one of his favourite subjects. The artist’s son Felix Klee described his father’s favourite outing to Wörlitz near Dessau, which inspired his depictions of plants and gardens: it was ‘surrounded by an enchanting park full of lakes and watercourses that made the visitor forget the monotony of the surrounding Elbe flatlands. We strolled past Aeolian harps and exotic giant trees, across rickety footbridges, and took the ferries to the islands. Here Paul Klee was thoroughly in his element, and many of his pictures with plant or water subjects were the outcome of visits to this wonderful park’ (F. Klee, quoted in Roland Doschka, Paul Klee, Munich, 2001, p. 210).

 

Initially, this rich and vibrant work formed part of a larger composition, the lower section of which Klee cut off to create two independent works, giving the other image the title Waldvogel (fig. 1). The present composition thus forms part of a hidden dialogue between the poisonous berries and the forest bird of its ‘sister piece’. Klee’s interest in this process of Teilung (division) is evident as early as 1902 and was examined in the seminal 1995 exhibition Paul Klee: Im Zeichen der Teilung. In that exhibition, the present work was reunited with its sister piece for the first time since their division.