Wols Between Myth and Reality

Beyond the myth, the historical importance and diversity of his rich oeuvre, from watercolors to prints and photographs, is today more thoroughly examined. A Doomed Genius Fame dawned on the German-born Otto Wolfgang Schulze-Wols (1913–1951) with two one-man shows at the Galerie Drouin, held immediately after the Second World War (December 21, 1945–January, 1946, and May 22–June 17, 1947). Wols was also featured in marking group exhibitions in Paris such as “Véhémences confrontées” (“Confronted Vehemence”) at Nina Dausset (March 8–31, 1951). The last show fostered the comparison with the American Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock, stressing the importance of his late oil paintings (1946-1951), a perspective that dominated art historical narratives until the end of the 20th century. If we look at the Inachevée ( Unfinished , 1950–1951, sold in June 2012 for $1 805 706 at Christie’s London), the painting that was hanging over Wols’s bed at the time of his death, we sense a certain…