626 - Portfolios and Illustrated Books

Portfolios and Illustrated Books 4th Annual Portfolio of the “Brücke” Artists’ Group (Schmidt-Rottluff) Portfolio containing 2 lithographs and 1 etching by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff on sturdy vellum, 1 woodcut by Axel Gallén-Kallela on vellum, and the red title woodcut by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner on the original paper cover (double sheet of vellum). Published by the “Brücke” artists’ group, Dresden, 1909. Approx. 40 x 33 cm (sheet size approx. 55 x 41 cm). Kirchner (cover) approx. 40 x 30 cm (sheet size approx. 55 x 41/82 cm). One of at least 68 copies. The 3 sheets by Schmidt-Rottluff are signed lower right. Complete. Included are: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff: “Portrait of H. (Erich Heckel),” 1909, lithograph; “Berliner Straße in Dresden,” 1909, lithograph; “Old Dresden Houses,” 1908, etching. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, “Portrait of Schmidt-Rottluff,” 1909, woodcut in red. Axel Gallén-Kallela, “Girl and Death in the Forest,” 1895, woodcut. Schapire L 56; L 57; R 9 (Schmidt-Rottluff); Gercken A-44 (Kirchner); Söhn HDO 214; Hoffmann 34. Meike Hoffmann writes about this portfolio: “Up until then, the annual portfolios had contained prints by various ‘Brücke’ artists; the first and third contained only woodcuts. Beginning in 1909, only one artist contributed three prints using different techniques. The cover was designed by one of the colleagues. (...) The change in direction was interesting: precisely during the period of strongest group dynamics, individual artists were given the opportunity to present themselves in detail, so that even among the ‘passive members,’ an appreciation for the individual within the collective could develop. Axel Gallén-Kallela’s 1895 woodcut “Girl and Death in the Forest” was also included in the portfolio. The print had already been planned for the previous, still mixed, third annual portfolio. However, the Finnish artist did not send his woodblock to Dresden for printing until late 1908. Schmidt-Rottluff expressed skepticism to Schiefler, as it was a relatively old work with a distinctly Art Nouveau style (...). The fact that Gallén’s woodcut was nevertheless included in the portfolio demonstrates the “Brücke” group’s consistent adherence to the principle of having no jury. “Any member was free to exhibit and publish whatever he himself deemed worthy.” (Meike Hoffmann, Life and Work of the “Brücke” Artists’ Group 1905 to 1913, Berlin 2005, pp. 266ff.) Bibliography: Spielmann, Heinz (ed.), The Painters of the “Brücke.” Hermann Gerlinger Collection, Stuttgart 1995, pp. 108–109, SHG nos. 56–60; Gerlinger, Hermann, and Schneider, Katja (eds.), The Painters of the Brücke: Inventory Catalog of the Hermann Gerlinger Collection, Halle/Saale 2005, pp. 40–41, SHG Nos. 55–57; p. 306, SHG No. 693; p. 408, SHG No. 884. Exhibitions (in each case on permanent loan from the Gerlinger Collection): Schleswig-Holstein State Museum, Gottorf Castle, Schleswig, 1995–2001; Moritzburg Art Museum, Halle/Saale, 2001–2017; Buchheim Museum, Bernried, 2017–2022. Provenance: Wolfgang Wittrock Art Gallery, Düsseldorf, 1993 (Gallén-Kallela only); Hermann Gerlinger Collection, Würzburg, each stamped on the reverse (Lugt 6032); Olbricht Collection, Essen/Berlin, since 2022. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).