7126 - Muter, Mela

Muter, Mela Artist at the Easel Watercolor over pencil on yellowish vellum. 40 x 30 cm. Signed "Muter" in blue-gray with a brush in the lower left corner. A delicately watercolored composition in a muted color palette. Although the facial features are left only hinted at, it seems likely that this is a self-portrait of the artist. Mela Muter, who came from the wealthy and culturally inclined Jewish merchant family Klingsland, moved to Paris as early as 1901, where she studied at the Académie Colarossi, among other places, and had numerous contacts with other artists and intellectuals in the Parisian art scene and the École de Paris; after a relationship with Raymond Lefèvre, she became friends with Rainer Maria Rilke. In the 1910s, her most productive period, she was strongly influenced by the works of Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Vuillard and enjoyed an excellent reputation as a portrait painter. In later years, she was inspired by Fauvist views of southern France and the Seine, as created by Raoul Dufy and Albert Marquet. Beginning in 1912, her works were exhibited in numerous European galleries. The Villa la Fleur Museum in Konstancin-Jeziorna is hosting an exhibition of her works through February 2027. Provenance: Private collection, Berlin Bassenge, Berlin, Auction 94, November 30, 2009, Lot 7250 Private collection, Berlin - 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.