3250 - EMIL NOLDE

EMIL NOLDE (Nolde 1867–1956 Seebüll) Mountain Lake. 1948. Watercolor on Japanese paper. Signed lower right: Nolde. 26.5 × 45.6 cm. Certificate: Dr. Martin Urban, Seebüll, September 14, 1975. Provenance: - Private collection, Flensburg. - Private collection, Switzerland, inherited from the above. - Koller Zurich auction, December 1, 2023, lot 3226. - Swiss collection, acquired at the above auction. The work is registered in the archives of the Nolde Foundation Seebüll under no. Fr.A.1030. Nolde’s connection with Switzerland dates back to January 1892, when, at the age of 24, he began an apprenticeship as a commercial graphic artist at the Museum of Industrial and Applied Art in St. Gallen. The artist returned regularly to Switzerland, initially to visit friends and later, together with his wife Ada, for health reasons. The massifs of the Swiss Alps made a lasting impression on him. He not only painted the mountains but also sought to experience them in all their diversity. In 1948, his wife Ada died. Nolde remarried, and his honeymoon brought him to Switzerland for the last time. The present watercolor, “Bergsee,” was painted during this final visit. Using his characteristic wet-on-wet watercolor technique, Nolde conjures up one last depiction of the Swiss mountain landscape—rich in color and wonderfully harmonious. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *; that is, VAT is charged on the total amount but will be refunded to purchasers who provide a validly stamped export declaration.