Willi Baumeister

Willi Baumeister 1889 - 1955 Zwei Weltalter. 1947. Oil with synthetic resin and filling compound on canvas. Signed and dated “5.47” in the upper left. 81.4 x 100.5 cm (32 x 39.5 in). [KA]. • An impressive work from the significant series “Zwei Weltalter” (1947–1955). • Thematically, Baumeister moves within an archaic world whose timeless relevance took on special significance for him in the postwar period. • The relief-like surface, achieved through the use of synthetic resin and filling compound, reinforces the work’s tactile effect. • The enigmatic figures are left in limbo, hovering between recognizability and abstraction. • Offered on the international auction market for the first time (source: artprice.com). We are grateful to Ms. Hadwig Goez for her kind assistance. PROVENANCE: Peter Harnden Collection, New York (no later than 1963). Galerie Otto Stangl, Munich (since 1980, Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg). Galerie Schwarzer, Düsseldorf. Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia (acquired from the above in 2006). In the family’s possession ever since. LITERATURE: Peter Beye, Felicitas Baumeister, Willi Baumeister. Catalog Raisonné of Paintings, vol. II, Ostfildern 2002, CR no. 1328 (with black-and-white illustration). Will Grohmann, Willi Baumeister. Leben und Werk, Cologne 1963, CR no. 970 (listed here under the title “Zwei Weltalter V” and dated “1947/48,” with b/w illustration). - - The Artist’s Diary, Baumeister Archive (unpublished), dated “5.47” beneath a pasted-in photograph of the work, p. 603. Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, 235th Auction, Modern Art, June 5, 1980, lot 82 (with color illustration on p. 27). Called up: December 5, 2026 - ca. 17.20 h +/- 20 min.

Estimate:$78,040.13

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