709 - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880, Aschaffenburg – Frauenkirch/Davos, 1938)

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880, Aschaffenburg – Frauenkirch/Davos, 1938) Fisherman Near a Bridge Pencil and colored pencil on drawing paper. (1914). Approx. 22 x 17 cm. Inscribed on the reverse: Stern(hafen)platz 2 (?). Monogrammed, presumably by another hand, at the bottom center. Cf. Presler 41 (sketchbook page taken from Presler Skb 41-vor 15) We thank Prof. Der. Dr. Gerd Presler for scholarly insights Kirchner’s years in Berlin were marked by the summer paradises on the island of Fehmarn (1912–1914) under a sky that arched all the way to the horizon. In contrast were those days and nights in the capital, Berlin—brimming with grueling anxieties that the painter captured in his “street scenes.” Here is a striking testament to these struggles: a fisherman, surrounded by silence—or so one might believe. And then there is the steel-blue bridge obstructing the horizon, building facades insurmountable and harsh. And a waterfall, foaming and swirling, carrying unrest and chaos into every corner. The angler—presumably Kirchner himself—stands at the center of all these burdens. They will catch up with him, bring him down, and turn him into a refugee. Provenance: Estate of the artist, formerly known as the “Gervais Collection, Zurich/Lyon,” labeled on the reverse; Serge Sabarsky Collection/Estate, New York; Vally Sabarsky Collection/Foundation, New York. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).