640 - HARTUNG, HANS

HARTUNG, HANS 1904 Leipzig–1989 Antibes Title: "P1967-93". Date: 1967. Technique: Indian ink, charcoal, and scratches on card. Dimensions: 50 x 73 cm. Inscription: Dated and titled on the reverse. Frame: Framed. Not examined out of the frame. A certificate of authenticity for the work, issued by the Fondation Hans Hartung et Anna-Eva Bergman, Antibes, dated June 6, 2006, is available. It is registered there under number CT 5453-3 and will be included in the catalogue raisonné currently in preparation. Provenance: - Pietro and Antonella Gallotti Collection (label) - Cafiso Arte, Milan (label) - Dorotheum, Vienna, auction June 1, 2022, lot 286 - Private collection, Europe Exhibition: - Cafiso Arte, Milan 2006 Literature: - Exhibition catalog: Hans Hartung, Cafiso Arte, Milan 2006, p. 33 - An expressive work by one of the most significant representatives of European Art Informel - A dynamic composition of gestural brushstrokes and delicate scratch lines - The minimalist black-and-white color scheme accentuates the structure, rhythm, and energy of this work, which possesses a compelling visual power Hans Hartung is considered one of the defining figures of 20th-century abstract art. Born in Leipzig in 1904, the artist first studied at the city’s State Academy of Graphic Arts and Book Arts and subsequently in Dresden, before receiving decisive inspiration in Paris from Fernand Léger and André Lhote. As early as the 1920s, he turned away from representational art and developed an independent, gestural-abstract visual language. After years in exile, he fought on the French side during World War II. During the war, Hartung was seriously wounded and lost a leg. Despite this turning point, he steadfastly continued his artistic work and, as one of the leading representatives of European Informel, had a lasting impact on postwar art. His work is characterized by spontaneous, energetic lines and a dynamic interplay between surface and mark-making that oscillates between controlled application and impulsive gesture. The work “P1967-93” impressively illustrates Hartung’s mature oeuvre. In powerful, semicircular black forms rhythmically distributed across the canvas, broad, sweeping strokes coalesce into dynamic segments. These are crisscrossed by fine, scratchy lines that lie over them like a nervous network and break up the surfaces. Diagonal paths further structure the composition and create a tension-filled layering of planes of movement. The combination of ink, charcoal, and scratch marks produces a multi-layered surface where painterly gesture and graphic precision converge. The reduction to black, white, and shades of gray directs the viewer’s attention to rhythm, energy, and structure. Within Hartung’s body of work, this piece marks a phase of heightened experimental enthusiasm, in which he radically condenses his gestural language and elevates it to a powerful visual dynamism. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transport is available only through a shipping company following consultation after the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros For a total invoice amount exceeding 25,000 Euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the U.S. by individual arrangement after the auction. #Hans Hartung #Nouvelle École de Paris #Informel #Lyrical Abstraction #Germany #Post-War Art #1960s #Post War. In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obligated to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price toward this fee.