7068 - Kubin, Alfred

Kubin, Alfred "The Human Beast" Pencil on scrap paper. Circa 1920. 28.7 x 38.5 cm. Monogrammed "K" in pencil in the lower right corner, titled, and labeled "Sketch." Alfred Kubin’s work is characterized by fantastical, eerie, and symbolically charged imagery. In this satirical drawing, that imagination is evident in a grotesque scene: Two “human-animals” kept in a zoo enclosure are being gazed at with interest by visitors standing on a railing. The animal, which appears somewhat simple-minded, has a truly astonishing physique: With its seemingly spineless, excessively long back, it is forced to move in a deeply stooped posture. Yet both specimens wear tailcoats and overcoats—signs of civility that stand in striking contrast to their existence. The smaller specimen sits on the branch of a bare tree trunk, seeking shelter, while its larger companion moves with such a deeply stooped posture that it must lean on the tree trunk for support. This social satire, reminiscent of Goya’s *Caprichos*, can be read as a sharp commentary on both the hubris and the narrow-mindedness of people who spend their entire lives bowing before their masters. An ink drawing with the same title is also found in the collection of the Leopold Museum, Vienna (see Alfred Kubin. Aus meinem Reich. Meisterwerke aus dem Leopold Museum, exhibition catalog, Vienna 2002, no. 69, p. 126). Provenance: Private collection, Vienna - 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.