3060 - ADOLF DIETRICH

ADOLF DIETRICH (1877 Berlingen – 1957) Berlingen with Poplars, View from the Lake. 1927. Oil on board. Signed, dated, and inscribed lower left: Ad. Dietrich 1927 1906 –. 35 × 110.5 cm. Provenance: - Private collection, Switzerland. - Christie’s Zurich auction, March 21, 2000, lot 133. - Private collection, Switzerland, acquired at the above auction. - Passed down to the current private collection, Switzerland. Exhibited: Mannheim 1927, Adolf Dietrich, “Kunsthaus” Gallery, Dr. Tannenbaum, September 18–October 20, 1927 (verso with label). Literature: Heinrich Ammann and Christoph Vögele: Adolf Dietrich. Catalog of Oil Paintings and Watercolors, Zurich 1994, p. 206, no. 1927.23 (ill.). In “Berlingen mit Pappeln,” Adolf Dietrich created an exceptional panoramic view of his home village on the Untersee. The unusually wide composition depicts the village from the water, with its distinctive church, closely packed houses, and towering poplars. The rich green of the lake, the brilliant blue of the sky, and the carefully rendered clouds lend a particular freshness to this detailed view. The painting’s history is closely linked to Dietrich’s artistic breakthrough. In 1922, the Mannheim gallery owner Dr. Herbert Tannenbaum—regarded as the artist’s discoverer—organized Dietrich’s first solo exhibition at his gallery, “Das Kunsthaus.” Its great success, particularly in Germany, led to growing demand for his paintings. Dietrich consequently returned to earlier compositions, reworking this 1906 view for another exhibition at Tannenbaum’s gallery in the fall of 1927. The double date “1927 / 1906' and the fact that the work was mounted on an additional sheet of board at that time to provide stability bear witness to this process. The work combines Dietrich’s close observation of his familiar surroundings with a sweeping composition. The unusual view from the lake gives this depiction of his home village its distinctive character.