Frauenkopf

Details

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938)
Frauenkopf
titled and dated 'Frauenkopf 1917' (on the reverse)
watercolour and pencil on buff paper
19¾ x 15¼ in. (50 x 38.7 cm.)
Executed in 1917

Provenance

Karl Nierendorf, New York.
The Guggenheim Museum, New York, by whom purchased from the estate of the above in 1948; de-accessioned in 1985.
Achim Moeller Fine Arts, New York, by whom acquired from the above in 1985.
Acquired from the above by the present owners in December 1985.

Special Notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

This work is listed in the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archives, Wichtrach/Bern.

The woman portrayed in the present gouache is Erna Shilling, Kirchner's muse and companion until his death.
Kirchner met the Schilling sisters, one of whom was Erna, in 1912. In 1917, when this work was executed, the artist was confined to his bed and had to enter a sanatorium on Lake Constance. Erna handled all of his personal and business affairs. By maintaining contacts with its artist's friends in Berlin, on behalf of the artist, she ensured Kirchner's participation in the summer exhibition of the Berlin Secessions.

More from Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper

View All