Modern & Contemporary Auction, Part I
Andreas Schulze is a German painter.
Andreas Schulze first began showing alongside neo-expressionist artists in the 1980s, although his work was considerably less gestural than that of his contemporaries. The artist instead opted for more rounded forms, which he used to create a playful, humorous style of figuration. Typical subjects included the contents interior spaces — such as pillows, lamps, and furniture — which he merged with more ominous abstraction.
Gotthard Graubner was a German abstract painter associated with the post-war Zero and Informel movements. Graubner's work is known for its focus on color and its relationship to space and perception.
Graubner studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under the painter Georg Meistermann. In the 1950s, he became associated with the Zero group, a movement of artists who sought to create a new art form that was free of traditional artistic conventions and focused on the use of unconventional materials.
In the 1960s, Graubner began creating his signature "color-space bodies," large canvases that were mounted away from the wall and filled with thick layers of pigment. These works were designed to be experienced as three-dimensional objects that were both paintings and sculptures, and they often created a sense of depth and spatial ambiguity.
Graubner's work was exhibited widely in Europe and the United States, and he was the recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout his career. He also taught at several art schools, including the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the Städelschule in Frankfurt.
Graubner's innovative approach to painting and his exploration of the relationship between color, space, and perception continue to be an important influence on contemporary art.
Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist. Richter has produced abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, and also photographs and glass pieces. He is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary German artists and several of his works have set record prices at auction.
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Christiaan Karel Appel was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s. He was one of the founders of the avant-garde movement CoBrA in 1948. He was also an avid sculptor and has had works featured in MoMA and other museums worldwide.
Emil Nolde, a German-Danish artist, stands out as a pivotal figure in the Expressionist movement, celebrated for his vibrant use of color and dynamic brushwork. Born on August 7, 1867, Nolde was initially self-taught, developing a style that later became synonymous with expressive use of color and form. His early work included religious themes and landscapes, characterized by their emotional intensity and innovative color palette. Nolde's contributions to art were not limited to painting; he also excelled in printmaking, creating a significant body of work that includes etchings, woodcuts, and lithographs.
One of Nolde's most noteworthy periods was his time spent on the Baltic Sea island of Alsen from 1903 to 1916, where he produced seascapes that captured the natural world's dynamic essence. His painting "Meer Bei Alsen" (Sea Off Alsen) is a testament to this period, showcasing his ability to convey movement and emotion through color. Furthermore, Nolde's fascination with religious and mythological themes is evident in works like "Dance Around the Golden Calf," where he employs vivid colors and expressive figures to explore complex narratives.
Despite his artistic achievements, Nolde's life was not without controversy. During the Nazi regime, his work was labeled "degenerate," and he faced significant professional and personal challenges. Nonetheless, Nolde continued to create, producing a series of watercolors known as the "Unpainted Pictures" during this time. After World War II, Nolde's reputation was rehabilitated, and he was once again celebrated as a leading figure in modern art.
Nolde's legacy is preserved at the Nolde Foundation Seebüll, a museum dedicated to his life and work, established in the year of his death, 1956. His influence on the field of modern art, particularly within Expressionism, is undeniable, with his bold approach to color and form inspiring subsequent generations of artists.
For art collectors and experts, Nolde's work offers a compelling study in the evolution of modern art, reflecting the tumultuous times he lived through and his unyielding dedication to artistic expression. His ability to capture the essence of his subjects, from the natural beauty of the sea to the depths of human emotion, makes his work a valuable addition to any collection.
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Lesser Ury was a German painter of the late nineteenth and first third of the twentieth centuries of Jewish origin. He is known as an impressionist painter, graphic artist and printmaker, a representative of the Düsseldorf school of painting.
Ury painted rural and urban landscapes, still lifes and monumental paintings on biblical themes. His works depicting the streets of Berlin and views of Brandenburg are particularly notable. Ury mastered both oil colors, creating floral paintings and urban scenes, and pastels, conveying an atmosphere of air and light in landscapes.
Franz Radziwill was a German artist of the twentieth century. He is known as a landscape painter, graphic artist and printmaker associated with the artistic movement of "new materiality".
Franz Radziwill created paintings that are characterized by careful elaboration and the use of glaze techniques borrowed from the Old Masters. He used elements of industrial buildings and modern technology, including ships and airplanes, in his landscapes. The results of his work can be categorized as magical realism.
In 1933 Radziwill became professor of painting at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art, but in 1935 the Nazis stripped him of this position, declaring his work degenerate art.
Jeanne Mammen was a twentieth-century German artist. She is known as a graphic artist and draftsman, a representative of modernism, a prominent figure in the artistic life of the Weimar Republic.
Jeanne Mammen developed an artistic style close to the New Materialism school. As she grew older, her work became more symbolic; after 1945, the artist moved towards abstractionism. She worked for fashion magazines, created movie posters, and illustrated erotic poetry. Mammen actively developed collage techniques, as well as creating portraits and caricatures, and sketching street types.
Richard Serra was a prominent American sculptor, renowned for his monumental steel sculptures that transform viewers' perceptions of space and environment. Born on November 2, 1938, in San Francisco, California, Serra pursued his education in Art History and Fine Arts at Yale University, where he graduated with a BA and an MFA in 1964. His early career was marked by experimentation with nontraditional materials such as rubber, neon, and lead, reflecting a departure from traditional sculptural forms towards more abstract expressions.
Serra's work is characterized by its engagement with the physical properties of his materials and the spatial dynamics of his installation sites. He is perhaps best known for "Tilted Arc" (1981), a controversial installation in New York City's Federal Plaza, which was eventually removed following public debate over its presence. Despite the controversy, "Tilted Arc" exemplifies Serra's interest in site-specificity and the relationship between artwork, site, and viewer.
Throughout his career, Serra's sculptures have been exhibited globally, with significant works like "Snake" (1994-97) at the Guggenheim Bilbao and "Torqued Ellipse" series, reflecting his ongoing exploration of curvilinear forms and the interaction between space, viewer, and sculpture. His contributions to art have been acknowledged with awards such as the Praemium Imperiale in 1994.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Serra's work represents a pivotal shift in contemporary sculpture, emphasizing the materiality and physical engagement of artworks within their environments. To stay updated on exhibitions and auction events related to Richard Serra's influential sculptures, signing up for updates is highly recommended, ensuring enthusiasts are informed about the latest developments and opportunities to engage with his groundbreaking work.