Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Lot n° 39

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Winter moon night - Längmatte at moonset. 1919. Colored woodcut. Dube 390. Gercken 958 1. b. (of 2). Signed and inscribed "Eigendruck". One of 12 known copies so far. On blotting paper. 30,7 x 29,5 cm (12 x 11,6 in). Paper: 54.2 x 39.2 cm (21.3 x 15.4 in). In a letter to Nele van de Velde dated January 20, 1919, the motif is recorded as a sketch in pen and colored chalks. In addition to the woodcut, the painting "Winter Moon Landscape," 1919 (Gordon 558, Institute of Arts, Detroit), is based on this sketch. - One of the most important color woodcuts of his Swiss creative period, printed by Kirchner himself. - So far, only two prints have been offered on the international auction market. - Of 12 known copies, 6 are in public collections, including the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, and the Museum Folkwang, Essen. - Of painting-like effect, the color lies rich and relief-like on the paper. - This woodcut exemplarily summarizes Kirchner's conception of his Swiss mountain world. The present work is documented in the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive, Wichtrach/Bern. PROVENIENCE: Private collection. Collection Hermann Gerlinger, Würzburg (with collector's stamp, acquired in 1991 from the estate of the aforementioned). EXHIBITION: Schleswig-Holstein Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig (permanent loan from the Hermann Gerlinger Collection, 1995-2001). Kunstmuseum Moritzburg, Halle an der Saale (permanent loan from the Hermann Gerlinger Collection, 2001-2017). Expressive. The Artists of the Brücke. The Hermann Gerlinger Collection, Albertina, Vienna, June 1-August 26, 2007, cat. no. 178, pp. 276f. (m. ill.). Bridging the gap: Gerlinger - Buchheim, Buchheim Museum der Phantasie, Bernried am Starnberger See, 28.10.2017-25.2.2018, p. 314 (m. color ill.). Buchheim Museum, Bernried (permanent loan from the Hermann Gerlinger Collection, 2017-2022). Furthermore, in selection (each a different copy): Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Bildwirkerei und Graphik, Kestner Museum Hannover, January/February 1955, cat. no. 43. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Graphische Sammlung, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, June 14-August 31, 1980, cat. no. 230. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Davos Works 1917-1923, Kirchner Museum, Davos, 17.12.1988-2.4.1989, cat.-no. 32, 33. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Mountain Life. The early Davos years 1917-1926, Kunstmuseum Basel, 27.9.2003-4.1.2004, cat.-no. 63, 64. LITERATURE: In selection: Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Graphik des deutschen Expressionismus, Feldafing 1959, p. 33 (other copy). Karl August Reiser, Deutsche Graphik von Leibl bis zur Gegenwart, Reutlingen 1964, p. 81 (other copy). Heinz Spielmann (ed.), Die Maler der Brücke, Sammlung Hermann Gerlinger, Stuttgart 1995, p. 269, SHG no. 392 (w. color illustrations). Hermann Gerlinger, Katja Schneider (eds.), Die Maler der Brücke, Bestandskatalog Sammlung Hermann Gerlinger, Halle (Saale) 2005, p. 348, SHG no. 780 (w. color ill.). Bridging the gap: Gerlinger - Buchheim! Museum Guide through the "Brücke" Collections of Hermann Gerlinger and Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Feldafing 2017, pp. 314ff. (m. ill., p. 315). "This morning before sunrise was a magnificent moonset, the mountains all blue, the sky reddish purple with pink wispy clouds and the yellow crescent moon. It was just great beautiful, but insanely cold. Oh if you could paint that." E. L. Kirchner in a letter to Nele van de Velde, January 20, 1919. Call time: 10.06.2022 - approx. 18.16 h +/- 20 min.