Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), Bergheuer, Heuer auf der Alp

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938)
Bergheuer, Heuer auf der Alp
signed and inscribed 'EL Kirchner Bergheur' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
35 1/2 x 39 1/2 in. (90.2 x 100.3 cm.)
Painted in 1920-1921

Provenance
The artist's estate.
Galerie Roman Norbert Ketterer, Lugano, by 1954.
Hans Guler, Klosters, by 1965; sale, Christie's, London, 28 June 1968, lot 121.
Private collection, by whom acquired at the above sale.
Galerie Wilhelm Grosshennig, Dusseldorf, by 1970.
Wilhelm Reinold, Hamburg, by whom acquired from the above on 22 September 1970, and thence by descent to the present owners.

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
E.L. Kirchner, Photoalbum, vol. III, no. 199 (the earlier state illustrated; dated '1920').
G. Schiefler, 'E.L. Kirchner in Davos', in Das Kunstblatt, vol. VII, no. 3, Potsdam, 1923, p. 90 (illustrated; dated '1922').
W. Grohmann, Das Werk Ernst Ludwig Kirchners, Munich, 1926, no. 74, p. 58 (illustrated pl. 74; with the dimensions inverted).
D. E. Gordon, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Massachusetts, 1968, no. 647, pp. 118 & 360 (illustrated p. 360).
H. Delfs, ed., Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Der Gesamte Briefwechsel 'Die absolute Wahrheit, so wie ich sie fühle', Zurich, 2010, pp. 1145, 1147, 1173, 1361 & 1366.
M. von Möller, ed., Das Werk Ernst Ludwig Kirchners, Munich, 2016, no. 74, p. 85.

Exhibited
Frankfurt, Galerie Ludwig Schames, E. L. Kirchner, November - December 1925, no. 2, p. 5 (dated '1918').
Lugano, R. N. Ketterer, E. L. Kirchner, February 1964, p. 26 (illustrated p. 27).
Basel, Kunsthalle, E. L. Kirchner und Rot-Blau, September - October 1967, no. 70.
Hamburg, Kunsthalle, Kirchner, October 2010 - January 2011, no. 175, pp. 9-18 & 242 (illustrated p. 177).