7061 - Grosz, George

Grosz, George The Pencil Seller Watercolor on Michallet handmade paper, mounted on cardboard. Circa 1928. 64 x 49 cm. Signed “George Grosz” in pencil in the upper left, dated and inscribed “New York,” and dedicated “to Gene Fowler.” Probably in 1928, Grosz painted *The Pencil Seller* using a soft wet-on-wet technique that blurs the contours of the blind man. Within this, the artist adds the details of the face and hands with a sharp, dry brush and completes the drawing with just a few added contours. The Roaring Twenties, with their vaudeville shows, bars, and heady nights, were one side of the coin; the other side reveals the harsh realities of life for the lower classes—poverty, political upheaval, and a society torn apart by social contrasts. Grosz explores this tension in all its breadth, giving rise to his drawings of street figures who, in the shadow of the dazzling lights, try to survive despite bitter poverty. Thus, the figure of the gaunt, haggard pencil seller, his hair grayed by worry, takes on a disturbing relevance today. When the painter and draftsman George Grosz traveled to America for the first time, he brought with him countless works he had created shortly before in Berlin—including this watercolor, dedicated to the American journalist, author, and playwright Gene Fowler, to whom Grosz gave the piece in 1932. Accompanied by a written confirmation from Ralph Jentsch, Berlin, dated October 9, 2024 (copy). He will include the drawing in the catalogue raisonné of works on paper currently in preparation. Provenance: Gene Fowler, New York (gift from the artist, 1932) Private collection, USA Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, auction June 11, 2010, Lot 251 Private collection, Rhineland - Please request condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.