517 - Jörg Immendorff (1945, Bleckede near Lüneburg – Düsseldorf, 2007)

Jörg Immendorff (1945, Bleckede near Lüneburg – Düsseldorf, 2007) Winner Bronze with a brown-green patina. (19)89. Approx. 171.5 x 40.5 x 39 cm (height with pedestal approx. 216.5 cm). An “E.A.” copy outside the edition of 6. Signed and dated on the plinth, and bearing the foundry mark “KAYSER DÜSSELDORF.” • Jörg Immendorff is one of the most important politically engaged and socially reflective German artists of the 20th century • The powerful figure, cast in roughly modeled bronze, harmonizes archaic forms with the Christian visual tradition • In 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell, Immendorff created a sculpture that questions both the political upheaval and his own steadfastness With arms raised high and hands clenched into mighty fists, Immendorff’s “Victorious One” stands on a monumental pedestal. The oversized hands, which almost resemble boxing gloves, lend the slender figure a combative air. But who is this victor, and what battle has he won? A clue is provided by the sculpture’s original wooden version, titled “The Victor—The Temptation of Saint Anthony.” The Christian hermit who resists the temptations and trials of the devil is a motif that has recurred throughout art history for centuries. Immendorff takes up this idea and translates it into his own powerful visual language. His victor is less a triumphant figure than an overcomer who stands his ground against internal and external resistance. For the politically engaged artist, who grappled throughout his life with German history and the social conditions of his time, this figure takes on an additional meaning. The struggle becomes a symbol of a mindset that does not give up, but rather embraces and overcomes resistance. S Provenance: Galerie Rackey, Bad Honnef; Private collection, Rhineland; Ketterer Kunst, Munich, Dec. 10, 2011, Lot 318; Private collection, Southern Germany, acquired from the aforementioned gallery. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).