172 - Franz Heckendorf

Franz Heckendorf 1888 Berlin – 1962 Munich – Expressionist Landscape with Hikers – (1920) Oil on canvas. 50 x 40.5 cm. Signed and dated lower left: F. Heckendorf. (19)20. On the reverse side of the stretcher, there is a stamp and two numbered labels. Framed. Isolated areas of slight paint loss. - Provenance: Erna Schultze Cohnitz (1884–1971) / Ernst Cohnitz, Berlin, until 1971 / Margit Fischer-Cohnitz, Berlin / Heirs of Margit Fischer-Cohnitz, Berlin (Ernst Ludwig Fischer and his wife Gesine Fischer) / Heir Philipp Fischer—A certificate from the Art Loss Register (ALR Ref: S00277165), London, October 19, 2026, is included. Landscape plays a central role in the work of the Berlin Expressionist Franz Heckendorf. It is precisely here that his preference for luminous, heightened colors and a powerfully dynamic composition unfolds with particular freedom. This painting, created in 1920, is a characteristic example of this. Beneath a deep-blue sky streaked with yellow-glowing clouds, trees, rocks, and hills seem to come alive. The impasto, energetic brushwork and intense coloration are a far cry from any naturalistic representation. The small hikers are almost lost in this riot of color. The human figure is not the focal point of the painting, but rather part of an expressively heightened, seemingly animated nature—an impressive work from Heckendorf’s mature Expressionist phase.