1479 - Marcel René Herrfeldt (1889, Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris – 1965, Munich)

Marcel René Herrfeldt (1889, Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris – 1965, Munich) Black and White A sapphic couple lying side by side on the bed after making love, strikingly contrasted not only by their different skin colors: in the foreground, a blonde woman on her back in a still erotically ecstatic, lascivious pose; behind her, a black beauty lying on her stomach with a red headscarf, smoking a cigarette with relish. A major work, characteristic in both motif and style, and representative of Herrfeldt’s oeuvre. The painter studied in Munich, Florence, and Paris, among others, under Franz von Stuck. As a member of the Munich Artists’ Cooperative, Herrfeldt exhibited for the first time in 1921 and gained wider recognition with his painting “Sklavin” at the exhibition in the Glaspalast. Herrfeldt specialized in depictions of the female nude, often in explicitly lascivious, erotic, and frivolous poses, portraying both blonde beauties in beach scenes and seductive Mediterranean women, Spanish women, and women of the Orient, who reflected the exotic and mystical allure of the “Orient.” In addition to individual female nudes of thoroughly self-assured, expressive women, Herrfeldt also, though less frequently, depicted couples, orgies, lesbian scenes, and, on rare occasions, men. Despite the idealization, the manner in which he depicted his nudes—with their ostentatiously displayed eroticism—must have been considered deeply provocative and scandalous in the 1920sthrough the 1950s—both during the “Third Reich” and the Adenauer era—as deeply provocative and scandalous. At the same time, this made him a pioneer of pin-up culture. Oil on canvas; signed lower right; 85 cm x 120 cm. Framed. Provenance: Private collection from the artist’s estate, Düsseldorf auction house, September 24–26, 2020, Lot 1657. Oil on canvas. Signed.