3250 - EMIL NOLDE

EMIL NOLDE (Nolde 1867–1956 Seebüll) Mountain lake. 1948. Watercolour on Japan paper. Signed lower right: Nolde. 26.5 × 45.6 cm. Certificate: Dr Martin Urban, Seebüll, 14 September 1975. Provenance: - Private collection, Flensburg. - Private collection, Switzerland, inherited from the above. - Auction Koller Zurich, 1 December 2023, lot 3226. - Swiss collection, acquired at the above auction. The work is registered in the archives of the Nolde Foundation Seebüll under no. Fr.A.1030. Nolde’s connection with Switzerland dates back to January 1892, when, at the age of 24, he began an apprenticeship as a commercial graphic artist at the Museum of Industrial and Applied Art in St Gallen. The artist returned regularly to Switzerland, initially to visit friends and later, together with his wife Ada, for reasons of health. The massifs of the Swiss Alps made a lasting impression on him. He not only painted the mountains but wanted to experience them in all their diversity. In 1948 his wife Ada died. Nolde married again, and his honeymoon brought him to Switzerland for the last time. The present watercolour, ‘Bergsee’, was painted on this final visit. Employing his characteristic wet-on-wet watercolour technique, Nolde conjures up one last depiction of the Swiss mountain landscape, rich in colour and wonderfully harmonious. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *, i.e. VAT is charged on the sum will be refunded to Purchasers providing a validly stamped export declaration.