Edvard Munch (1863-1944), Badescene fra Åsgårdstrand (Bathing scene from Åsgårdstrand)

Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
Badescene fra Åsgårdstrand (Bathing scene from Åsgårdstrand)
signed and dated 'Edv. Munch 1904 1936' (lower right)
oil on canvas
27 3/8 x 39 1/2 in. (69.5 x 100.3 cm.)
Painted in 1904-1936

Special Notice
Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent.

Provenance
Rolf E. Stenersen, Oslo.
The municipality of Aker (later Oslo), Norway, donated by the above in 1936, until at least 1948.
Emil Georg Bührle, Zurich, by 1954.
Benno Griebert, Rome, by 1968.
Wilhelm Reinold, Hamburg, by 1969, and thence by descent to the present owners.

Saleroom Notice
Please note this lot is not subject to Artist's Resale Right (ARR).

Pre-Lot Text
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF WILHELM REINOLD
Christie’s is honoured to present the following selection of works from the collection of the highly respected financier and patron of the arts, Wilhelm Reinold (1895-1979). Assembled over the course of two decades, this diverse collection of paintings and prints stands as a testament not only to Reinold’s discerning eye, but also his deep appreciation for art of the early Twentieth Century.
Although born in Wuppertal, Reinold’s banking career truly flourished in the German city of Hamburg, where he earned a reputation as an astute and intelligent thinker, characteristics which would eventually lead him to become a board member of the city’s Commerzbank. While he had maintained a general interest in the arts throughout his life, a gift of a Paul Klee drawing on the occasion of his 65th birthday inspired Reinold to begin a prolific collecting journey that would occupy him throughout the 1960s and 1970s. During this time he amassed an enviable collection of modern art, acquiring vibrant, compelling works from painters as diverse as Marc Chagall and Max Beckmann to Lyonel Feininger and Gabriele Münter. He also developed key friendships with several notable artists, including Oskar Kokoschka, whom he commissioned to create a panoramic view of the Hamburg harbour from a crane of the Stülcken-Werft shipyard in the early 1960s. Alongside his collecting activities he was also a generous patron and philanthropist, donating several important artworks to local museums and galleries in Hamburg, and providing financial assistance to a number of artistic institutions.
While Reinold’s artistic tastes were varied and wide-ranging, several themes appear to have underpinned his collecting habits. For example, he held a particular interest in the art of his homeland, acquiring paintings by many of the leading figures of the German avant-garde during the first half of the twentieth century, including Max Beckmann, Emil Nolde and the Die Brücke artists Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Erich Heckel and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. There is also a strong focus on figurative representation in his acquisitions, while many works appear to have been chosen for their powerfully expressionistic approach to colour. Indeed, the collection is filled with paintings that utilise luminous, vibrant pigments to bring a bold sense of energy and life to their subject matter. Other works offer an insight into the internal battles which occupied their creators during pivotal moments in their careers. Whether in the midst of experimenting with a new painterly style or investigating alternative media, they capture painting in its rawest and most vigorous form, as each artist strives to translate their subjective vision of the world onto their canvases with an intensity and passion that reflects their experiences.

Literature
G. Woll, Edvard Munch, Complete Paintings, Catalogue Raisonné, vol. II, 1898-1908, London, 2009, no. 594, p. 614 (illustrated).

Exhibited
Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, Rolf Stenersens samling, April - May 1936, no. 19, p. 6 (with the dimensions inverted).
Stockholm, Kungliga Akademien, Edvard Munch utställning, March 1937, no. 12.
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Edvard Munch, May - June 1937, no. 16 (titled 'Strandleven. Aasgaardstrand').
Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, Rolf Stenersens samling, January 1948, no. 86.
Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Edvard Munch, 1863-1944, August - September 1954, no. 9, n.p. (titled 'Strand').
Munich, Haus der Kunst, Ausstellung Edvard Munch, November - December 1954, no. 58, p. 28 (titled 'Strand' and dated '1904'); this exhibition later travelled to Cologne, Wallraff-Richartz-Museum, January - February 1955.
Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Ausstellung Edvard Munch, September - December 1965, no. 19, n.p. (titled 'Sea-shore').
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Munch/Nolde, The Relationship of their Art: Oils, Watercolours, Drawings and Graphics, July - August 1969, no. 12, p. 12 (titled 'On the Beach').
Oslo, Munch-museet, Rolf E. Stenersens gave til Oslo by-Akersamlingen, December 1973 - March 1974, p. 199 (illustrated pl. 56, p. 260 & pl. 32, p. 251).
Hamburg, Kunsthalle, Edvard Munch...aus dem modernen Seelenleben, March - May 2006, no. 274, p. 183 (illustrated p. 147; titled 'Strand mit Badenden').
Basel, Fondation Beyeler, Edvard Munch: Signs of Modern Art, March - July 2007, no. 133, p. 273 (illustrated p. 172; titled 'Beach with Bathers' and dated '1930s'); this exhibition later travelled to Künzelsau, Kunsthalle Würth, August - December 2007.
Paris, Pinacothèque de Paris, Edvard Munch ou 'l'Anti Cri', February - July 2010, no. 97, n.p. (illustrated; titled 'Scène de baignade à Åsgårdstrand'); this exhibition later travelled to Rotterdam, Kunsthal, Edvard Munch, September 2010 - February 2011, no. 114, p. 139 (illustrated; titled 'Zwemtafereel bij Åsgårdstrand').
Genova, Palazzo Ducale, Edvard Munch, November 2013 - April 2014, pp. 94-95 (illustrated; titled 'Scena di bagnanti a Åsgårdstrand').