3245 - PAUL KLEE

PAUL KLEE (Münchenbuchsee 1879–1940 Muralto) Schlir Still Life. (still life) 1931. Watercolor over glue ground on paper on board. Signed upper left: Klee. Dated, numbered, and titled on the artist’s board: 1931 W 20 Schlir-Stilleben. 21 × 32.8 cm. Provenance: - Ida Bienert, Dresden/Munich, from 1932. - Marlborough Fine Art, London, 1987/88. - Christie’s London auction, November 29, 1988, lot 362/B. - Private collection, Italy, acquired at the above auction and passed down to the next generation. - Koller Auction, Zurich, December 1, 2023, lot 3250. - Swiss collection, acquired at the above auction. Exhibited: - Munich 1950, *Die Maler am Bauhaus*, Haus der Kunst, May–June 1950, no. 148. - Venice 1954, XXVII Esposizione Biennale Internazionale d’Arte, German Pavilion, June 19–October 17, 1954, no. 33. - London 1966, Paul Klee, Marlborough Fine Art, June–July 1966, no. 42. - New York 1969, Paul Klee. A Retrospective Exhibition, Saidenberg Gallery, October 14–November 19, 1969, no. 37. Bibliography: - Paul Klee Foundation and Kunstmuseum Bern (eds.): Paul Klee. Catalogue raisonné, Bern 2002, vol. VI, p. 151, no. 5665 (ill.). - Will Grohmann (ed.): Private Collections of Modern Art. The Ida Bienert Collection, Dresden, 1933, vol. I, p. 22 (ill.). In this still life from 1931, painted during his brief tenure as a professor at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, Klee experiments with materials, forms, and colors. Against a background of glue, countless dabs of watercolor form a pattern woven together like a carpet. Varying not only in size and color but also in their horizontal and vertical arrangement, they lend the painting a sense of movement that is both intriguing and disorienting. A handful of large, clearly defined elements—circles, ellipses, and black lines—in the center and along the upper right and lower left edges restore a sense of calm and structure to the composition. Bands of color in muted pastel tones likewise contribute to the harmony of the whole. The work originally belonged to the collection of Ida Bienert in Dresden, a remarkable private art collection begun shortly before World War I. Historical events effectively brought its development to an end in 1933, and the full extent of the collection remained unknown for many years. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *; that is, VAT is charged on the amount and will be refunded to purchasers who provide a validly stamped export declaration.