Landscape in Holstein, Erich Heckel
Erich Heckel
Landscape in Holstein
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Erich Heckel

Landscape in Holstein, 1913


Dimensions
82.2 x 95.5 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
SG 1128
Acquisition
Acquired in 1926. Confiscated in 1937. Reacquired in 1951
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

In the year of the dissolution of the art group Brücke, Heckel created this impressive landscape of the Flensburg Fjord. In sweeping strokes, he captured the lush green of the fields, bushes and trees under a turbulent sky. The painting proves his desire to convey moods and feelings through forms and motifs. The angular shapes and systematic brushwork herald another development in Heckel’s oeuvre: they are reminiscent of crystalline structures that the artist later used to exaggerate reality.

About the Acquisition

Pauline Kowarzik (née Fellner; 1852–1930) grew up in Frankfurt and received private painting and drawing lessons at a young age. In 1896, she married the Viennese sculptor and medallist Josef Kowarzik (1860–1911), who taught sculpture at the Städelschule. Together, they were very active participants of Frankfurt’s art life and closely associated with the Städel Art Institute. Due to her notable knowledge of modern art, Pauline Kowarzik was the first woman to be appointed as a member with advisory capacity in the acquisition committee of the Städtische Galerie in 1916. Kowarzik herself owned a significant collection with modern art works. When the inflation in 1926 got her into financial trouble, Pauline Kowarzik sold her private collection to the Städel for a monthly life annuity. In 1937, 18 of the 34 works were removed from the museum as part of the “Degenerate Art” confiscation operation. Nowadays, they are either lost or in other museums all over Europe. Heckel’s "Landscape in Holstein" was the only one of these works that the Städel was able to buy back.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Landscape in Holstein
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Work Catalogues
  • Hüneke 2017, Nr. 1913-66

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024
Acquisition
Acquired in 1926. Confiscated in 1937. Reacquired in 1951

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 25H114 low hill country
  • 61D(SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN) (SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN)
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
... Pauline Kowarzik (1852-1929), Frankfurt am Main
Verkauf an die Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt am Main, 1926
beschlagnahmt als „entartete Kunst“ durch das Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda, August 1937
in Kommission an Bernhard Böhmer, Güstrow
Rückgabe an das RMVP
Tausch mit Hildebrandt Gurlitt, Hamburg
Verst. Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Roman Norbert Ketterer (Nr. 1823) an H. H. Kliehm, München, 1951
Verkauf an die Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt am Main, 1951.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

The successive ownership records are separated from each other by a semicolon.

Gaps in the record of a provenance are indicated by the placeholder “…”. Unsupported information is listed in square brackets.

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Last update

25.04.2024