877 - Horst Janssen (1929, Hamburg – 1995, ibid.)

Horst Janssen (1929, Hamburg – 1995, ibid.) Napkin featuring a drawn rebus and a self-portrait as a dog A pictorial puzzle featuring a sphinx-like female figure, a dog bearing Janssen’s features, another woman, and three observers in a box, with the text below: “Papa, he stayed with us. Look: the day is about to end!” The ingenious composition on a restaurant napkin stained with red wine still requires explanation. It was created spontaneously during one of Janssen’s visits to his favorite Italian restaurant, “Da Angelo,” in Hamburg-Rissen—which was run by Angelo Convertino from 1983 to 1989—and is part of a collection of other drawings and mementos that the artist gave to his friend at that time. Janssen expert Hans Brockstedt verbally confirmed the authenticity of the drawings in 2000. Black felt-tip pen on cotton napkin. Signed lower right; folded. 40 cm x 40 cm. Provenance: Angelo Convertino/Restaurant “Da Angelo” as a gift from the artist in the 1980s. See “Discovered at the ‘Italian’! Janssen Works on Aprons and Napkins,” *Bild Hamburg*, March 1, 2000, p. 6; Exhibited at the Horst Janssen Museum in Oldenburg, “I Was a Gourmet. Horst Janssen Sets the Table,” April 1–June 9, 2025. Felt-tip pen on cotton napkin. Signed.