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SIXTEEN RARE WATERCOLOURS BY OTTO DIX
The Bilderbuch fuur Muggeli (Picture-Book for Muggeli) comprises an extraordinary sequence of sixteen watercolours that Otto Dix painted in 1922 to form a childrens picture-book which he gave as an Easter gift to Martin Koch - the son of his friends Hans and Martha Koch. These spectacularly vibrant watercolours collectively form the first of five such childrens books that Dix would make during his lifetime. Executed at the height of his reputation as a fierce Verist critic of contemporary life and as a Dadaist anti-artist, Bilderbuch für Muggeli is a particularly poignant and auspicious work, as it was given to the young Martin - called Muggeli - during the period when Dix was already in love with and courting his mother, Martha, whom he would marry the following year.
It was Dix and Martha's love of dancing that had brought them together, and on the title page of the book, Dix has drawn a self-portrait in the guise of his night-club dancing alter-ego Jimmy the Shimmy - a hard-hitting, cigarette-smoking, dandy-esque figure dressed in American clothes with his hair greased back. It was a character he either knew or evidently hoped would appeal to Martha. The dedication of the book reads, given from Uncle Jimmy to Muggeli, Easter 1922.
The book itself includes 15 further watercolours depicting a wide range of whimsical adventure scenes from around the world. Executed in a bold, simplistic and masterly style, these colourful scenes of travel and discovery contrasted deeply with the grim realities of post-war Germany and reflected exactly the kind of fantasies of escape that Dix himself often dreamed of and drew for himself at this time.
Including vibrant images of Africa and America, of dinosaurs, undersea creatures and, of course, of the circus, each rendered with a commanding and often humorous simplicity, these images are a pictorial pleasure for both child and adult. Indeed, although it was made at the height of the inflation years in Germany, Dixs dealer Karl Nierendorf immediately sought to publish this spectacular picture-book to be enjoyed by children other than Martin Koch; but this
was not to be. The first publication of Bilderbuch für Muggeli was not until 1991, when it was published by the Ravensburger Buchverlag.
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE GERMAN COLLECTION
Otto Dix (1891-1969)
Selbstbildnis (Bilderbuch Muggeli Bl. 1)
細節
Otto Dix (1891-1969)
Selbstbildnis (Bilderbuch Muggeli Bl. 1)
signed and dated 'DIX 22.' (lower right) and inscribed 'DIES BILDERBUCH SCHENKT ONKEL JIMMY DEM MUGGELI OSTERN 1922' (within the composition)
watercolour and pen and India ink on paper
16 1/8 x 11½ in. (40.8 x 29 cm.)
Executed in 1922
Selbstbildnis (Bilderbuch Muggeli Bl. 1)
signed and dated 'DIX 22.' (lower right) and inscribed 'DIES BILDERBUCH SCHENKT ONKEL JIMMY DEM MUGGELI OSTERN 1922' (within the composition)
watercolour and pen and India ink on paper
16 1/8 x 11½ in. (40.8 x 29 cm.)
Executed in 1922
來源
Martin Wenzel Koch, a gift from the artist in 1922 and thence by descent to the present owners.
出版
O. Maier, Otto Dix, Bilderbuch für 'Muggeli', Ravensburg, 1991 (illustrated).
S. Pfäffle, Otto Dix, Werkverzeichnis der Aquarelle und Gouachen, Stuttgart, 1991, no. A 1922/189 (illustrated p. 173).
S. Pfäffle, Otto Dix, Werkverzeichnis der Aquarelle und Gouachen, Stuttgart, 1991, no. A 1922/189 (illustrated p. 173).
展覽
Villingen-Schwenningen, Städtische Galerie, Otto Dix zum 99, Kinderwelt und Kinderbildnis, December 1990 - February 1991, no. 1 (illustrated p. 54).
榮譽呈獻
Cornelia Svedman