500 - Curt Herrmann (1854, Merseburg – 1929, Pretzfeld)

Curt Herrmann (1854, Merseburg – 1929, Pretzfeld) Pretzfeld Castle Oil on canvas, with a backing strip along the lower edge. (Circa 1908). Approx. 82 x 58 cm. On the reverse side of the canvas and stretcher, there are various handwritten numberings, including “62/218” written twice in red. • Curt Herrmann is considered one of the most important German representatives of Neo-Impressionism • He organized the first exhibitions of the Neo-Impressionists at Paul Cassirer’s gallery in Germany • The park at Pretzfeld Castle is one of his best-known subjects Curt Herrmann studied in Carl Steffeck’s Berlin studio and in Munich under the history painter Wilhelm von Lindenschmid. In 1893, he opened a painting and drawing school for women in Berlin. Herrmann was firmly established in Berlin’s art scene; in 1898, he was a founding member and board member of the Berlin Secession; from 1902 onward, he was active in the German Artists’ Association; in 1914, he took part in the split that led to the formation of the Free Secession, and in 1918 he became its president. In 1917, he was awarded the title of professor. In 1897, Curt Herrmann married his painting student Sophie Herz. She was the daughter of a wealthy banking family and provided the painter with financial independence from that point on. On their honeymoon to Paris and Brussels, the Herrmanns met the Belgian artist Henry van de Velde, who became a lifelong friend. Through him, Herrmann came into contact with the contemporary French art scene of the Neo-Impressionists centered around Georges Seurat, Henri Edmond Cross, Maximilian Luce, and Paul Signac. He collected their works and organized the first Neo-Impressionist exhibitions in Germany, which were shown in 1902–03 at Paul Cassirer’s galleries in Hamburg and Berlin. In his own painting as well, he underwent a marked stylistic shift, increasingly using only pure colors, which he arranged side by side in small dots, later in long, parallel strokes, and eventually in ever-freer brushstrokes. Herrmann maintained a close friendship with Signac for many years; they exchanged their own works and helped each other secure contacts and sales. Through Signac, Herrmann was able to exhibit at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris from 1905 to 1907 and at the Salon d’Automne beginning in 1908. In March 1907, Signac wrote to Herrmann regarding the Indépendants exhibition: “(...) Your paintings arrived in time (...). They’re also hung in a really good spot, next to (Henri Edmond) Cross. Your beautiful paintings—so soft and colorful—look magnificent and are attracting a lot of attention. Please accept my heartfelt congratulations (...)”. Curt Herrmann spent a great deal of time at Pretzfeld Castle in Upper Franconia, which the grandfather of his wife Sophie Herz, the merchant Josef Kohn (1810–1885), had acquired as early as 1852. The castle and its gardens became his favorite subjects, which he immortalized in numerous sun-drenched garden scenes. Fully committed to Neo-Impressionism, he captured the cheerful, summery atmosphere and the vastness of the castle grounds with delicate, precisely placed brushstrokes. The estate remains in the possession of the artist’s descendants to this day. Exhibition: Curt Herrmann, Estate Exhibition at Sotheby’s, Munich 1982, illustration on the title page; Painting & Sculpture, 19th–21st Centuries, Kunsthaus Bühler, Stuttgart 2015, p. 39, color ill. p. 38. Provenance: The artist’s estate; Kunsthaus Bühler, Stuttgart, label on the back of the stretcher; Private collection, Baden-Württemberg. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).