105 - BROCKHUSEN, THEO VON

BROCKHUSEN, THEO VON 1882 Marggrabowa, East Prussia–1919 Berlin Title: Sailboats in Nieuwpoort. Date: 1910. Technique: Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 64.5 x 80.5 cm. Notation: Signed lower left: Theo von Brockhusen. On the reverse, two labels are affixed to the stretcher: No. 768 Theo v. Brockhusen Sailboat near Nieuwpoort Galerie Möller/Brockhusen B116 Sailboats. Frame: Framed. We are grateful to Dr. Gerhard Leistner for his kind scholarly support. Provenance: - Galerie Ferdinand Möller, Berlin (label) - Private collection, Berlin - Private collection, Bremen Exhibitions: - Galerie Ferdinand Möller, Berlin, 1932 - Museum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg, 1999 - Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, 1999/2000 Literature: - Exhibition catalog: Memorial Exhibition Theo von Brockhusen, Galerie Ferdinand Möller, Berlin, 1932, cat. no. 7 - Exhibition catalog: Theo von Brockhusen (1882–1919)—A Painter Between Impressionism and Expressionism, Museum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg/Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, 1999/2000, cat. no. 21, color ill. p. 118 - By the prominent Post-Impressionist who was supported and represented by the famous gallery owner Paul Cassirer - Atmospheric view of the harbor from the Nieuwpoort series, ca. 1909–10 - Powerful brushwork and impressive reflections of light on the water During his stays on the Belgian North Sea coast in 1909 and 1910, Theo von Brockhusen discovered the harbor of Nieuwpoort as a subject for his paintings. The artist, who had been represented by Paul Cassirer since 1906, was a member of the Berlin Secession and combined precise observation of changing light conditions with an increasingly free and powerful brushstroke. He first visited the port town on his honeymoon in 1909; he returned there the following year. During this period, he produced several paintings featuring sailboats and docks. In “Sailboats in Nieuwpoort,” Brockhusen directs the viewer’s gaze along a narrow waterway toward a group of moored boats. On the left, a dark hull with a massive brown sail juts into the foreground; masts and rigging crisscross and draw the eye to the light-colored sails in the center of the painting. On the right, a densely packed row of dark wooden pilings forms a striking boundary. Their foreshortened perspective draws the eye deep into the harbor. No people are visible; only the boats, their rigging, and the rhythmically staggered pilings define the scene. Particularly striking is the contrast between the heavy, darkly contoured forms of the boats and the light-colored water. With short, bold brushstrokes, Brockhusen applies shades of blue, gray, white, and delicate pink, which merge into shimmering reflections on the rippling surface. The sky, too, is rendered with broad, visibly impastoed brushstrokes. The textural density of the paint application lends the tranquil harbor scene a lively atmosphere, while the tight perspective of the row of pilings holds the composition together. The documented provenance traces the work back to the Ferdinand Möller Gallery in Berlin. Comparable maritime motifs from around 1909–10 are documented in the exhibition catalog “Theo von Brockhusen: Colors in Light,” published by the Potsdam Museum in 2025. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: Domestic: 77.31 euros plus 14.69 euros VAT EU: 100.84 euros plus 19.16 euros VAT Third country: 159.66 euros plus 30.34 euros VAT Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance Up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros Over a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the U.S. by individual arrangement after the auction. #Theo von Brockhusen #1900s #Boats #Painting #Modern Art.