63 - Max Pechstein

Max Pechstein (German, 1881-1955) Haus mit Acker (House with Field), 1922 watercolor and pencil on paper signed HMPechstein (lower right); inscribed in another hand Haus mit Acker (lower left); signed again (verso) sheet: 19 1/4 x 25 3/8 in. (48.9 x 64.5 cm) Property from a Private East Coast Collection This lot is located in Philadelphia. In overall very good condition. The sheet is loose, with even edges and all four corners. We notice three pinholes at upper center, in the upper and bottom right corners as well as at bottom left (which has slightly ripped off the corner itself, although it is still hanging). With a blindstamp at bottom right too. The sheet is only lightly toned as the few areas left bare are still very white. With minor crases along the top and bottom outer edges (see for example at upper left quadrant, and at bottom center: likely a result of handling, but the sheet remains very stable). Some are accompanied by minor paint/pigment loss (see at upper center, along the top outer edge). On the reverse, we notice remnants of localized brown tape at upper left and right corners, as well as at upper center and bottom left. With a few handling crases (which don't necessarily print through). Ink stamp at bottom right corner. Additional images available upon request. We wish to thank Mrs. Julia Pechstein, Hamburg, for kindly confirming the authenticity of the present lot, which will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity dated September 3, 2025. Provenance: Galerie Lutz & Co., Berlin, Germany (per stamp verso). Rolf Ohse. Lot Essay: House with Field, 1922, represents an extraordinarily vibrant color range and sense of contrast, likely a part of a series of boldly colored Expressionist landscapes painted by the artist in and around Leba from July to September 1922. In the watercolor, the field comes alive with softly curved diagonal furrows that transition from luminous blue, to an earthy mauve, and then ultimately to soft ocher. The house itself dominates the landscape, and its walls are the same ocher and mauve, echoing the striations of the field. With the blue fence that surrounds the house likewise reflecting the blue of the fields, all appear to be a chromatic mirror of one another. The remaining upper half of the composition is dominated by the lively green trees and dramatic, cloud-filled sky. The fishing boats of Leba and nearby waterways were to become a particularly favorite motif of Pechstein.