572 - Zank and Gericke

Zank and Gericke Hans Zank (1889, Berlin – 1967, Falkensee) Willi Gericke (1895, Havelstadt – 1970, Falkensee) - "In the Harbor of Lübeck" – oil on canvas. 46 x 33 cm. 68 x 55 cm (dimensions with frame). Signed lower right: Zank Gericke. On the reverse: estate stamp, exhibition label, and label. Framed. - Lit.: Hans Zank and Willy Gericke—Two Significant Berlin Painters in the Turbulent Era of World and Art History. Verden 1987, No. 512 (with ill.). Willi Gericke and Hans Zank were primarily influenced, especially in the 1920s, by Expressionist artists such as Max Beckmann and Emil Nolde. Zank studied at the Leipzig Academy in 1912. His close friendship with Willy Gericke, who later studied under Johannes Walter-Kurau, began as early as their school days. Over the years, Zank and Gericke developed a true symbiosis. With few exceptions, none of their paintings are signed by either artist. Even for experts, it is impossible to attribute a painting to one of them with certainty. In fact, they painted many works together.