668 - Fritz Klimsch (1870 Frankfurt am Main–Freiburg im Breisgau 1960)

Fritz Klimsch (1870 Frankfurt am Main–Freiburg im Breisgau 1960) Statuette of Nelly Herz with her daughter Marta Bronze with a brown patina, on a marble base. 1902. Approx. 51 x 38 x 38 cm (base approx. 2 x 42 x 42 cm). Signed and dated on the back right of the plinth; bears the foundry mark “Guss v. H. Noack Friedenau” on the rear side edge. One-of-a-kind. Brown 23. • This bronze is the only double portrait in Fritz Klimsch’s extensive sculptural oeuvre • A representative yet personal depiction of mother and daughter • The bronze remained in the family’s possession until the 1970s The sculptor Fritz Klimsch came from a Frankfurt family with a long artistic tradition; his father, grandfather, and both older brothers were also active as artists. He received drawing lessons and intensive artistic training from an early age, and at age 16 he began his studies in the drawing and modeling classes at the Berlin University of the Arts. In the years that followed, trips to Italy and Greece shaped his artistic style; in Paris, he became acquainted with the works of Rodin. Together with Max Liebermann and Walter Leistikow, Fritz Klimsch founded the Berlin Secession in 1898, and his works were regularly featured in its exhibitions. He became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1912; from 1921 to 1935, he served as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and as director of the master studio. In 1960, Fritz Klimsch was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Klimsch enjoyed great success with portraits of prominent figures in cultural and political life, such as Paul von Hindenburg, Carl Duisberg, Max Liebermann, Max Slevogt, Lovis Corinth, and Ludwig Thoma. In addition, he received numerous commissions for monuments and gravesites, including those for Rudolf Virchow, Alois Alzheimer, and Theo von Brockhusen. Today, Klimsch is best known for his distinctive female nudes, which are in high demand on the art market. Klimsch received multiple commissions from the Frankfurt merchant family of Adolf and Martha Gans. For example, he portrayed Martha in a marble relief as well as her adult daughter Nelly in a plaster bust and a marble bust (see the artist’s handwritten portrait catalog, nos. 10, 11, and 35; current locations unknown). Klimsch presented this marble bust of Nelly in 1911 at the 22nd exhibition of the Berlin Secession (cat. no. 315). In addition, in 1913—following the death of Adolf Gans the previous year—Klimsch designed the family’s tomb at Frankfurt’s Main Cemetery (see WVZ Braun 82). What was likely the Gans family’s first commission came as early as 1902 and consisted of a double portrait of Nelly Herz, née Gans, with her then five-year-old daughter Marta. Nelly was married to the Berlin industrialist Hans Herz, the principal shareholder of the Frankfurt-based paint company Cassella. This wonderful bronze sculpture depicts mother and daughter in a tender moment of togetherness. Klimsch composes the figure in a traditional pyramidal form, yet lends it an astonishing lightness through the nuanced modeling of the fabric and the lavish draping of their elegant clothing. Nelly Herz emigrated to England in 1936 with her adult daughters Marta and Gerta, as well as Gerta’s sons. She died there in 1942; Marta died in 1974. The Klimsch bronze passed into the possession of her grandson Erik, who anglicized his last name to Smith and became a successful music producer, working for the renowned English music publisher Decca, among others. Bibliography: Fritz Klimsch. Works, exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of Fritz Klimsch’s death at Galerie Koch, Hanover 1980, cat. no. IV, b/w ill. p. 129 (not exhibited). Exhibitions: 5th Exhibition of the Berlin Secession, Paul Cassirer Gallery, Berlin 1902, cat. no. 308, no illustration; The Sculptors August Gaul and Fritz Klimsch, Museum Giersch, Frankfurt am Main 2010/11, cat. no. 100, color illustration, p. 201. Provenance: Collection of Adolf Gans (1842–1912) and Martha Gans, née Pick (1851–1918), Frankfurt am Main; inherited by their daughter Helene Louise (“Nelly”) Herz, née Gans (1874–1942), Berlin. Then, through further inheritance (presumably via their daughter Gertrud (“Gerta”) Schmidt-Isserstedt, née Herz), to Nelly’s grandson Erik Smith, née Schmidt-Isserstedt (1931–2004), London; J. P. Schneider Art Gallery, Frankfurt am Main; private collection, Bavaria, acquired from the aforementioned in 1972. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).