Vente: 611 / Day Sale 05 décembre 2026 à Munich → Lot 126000014
126000014
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Russisches Tänzerpaar, 1909.
Lithograph in colors in four colors (black, blu...
Estimation: € 120,000 / $ 139,200
Les informations sur la commission d´achat, les taxes et le droit de suite sont disponibles quatre semaines avant la vente.
126000014
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Russisches Tänzerpaar, 1909.
Lithograph in colors in four colors (black, blu...
Estimation: € 120,000 / $ 139,200
Les informations sur la commission d´achat, les taxes et le droit de suite sont disponibles quatre semaines avant la vente.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
1880 - 1938
Russisches Tänzerpaar. 1909.
Lithograph in colors in four colors (black, blue, rose red, and yellow).
Signed and inscribed "Handdruck". One of ten known copies. On wove paper. 33.5 x 39.4 cm (13.1 x 15.5 in). Sheet: 34,4 x 45,1 cm (13,5 x 17,7 in).
Twice stamped “Unverkäuflich E. L. Kirchner” (not for resale) on the reverse
According to Günther Gercken’s catalogue raisonné (Vol. II, 1909–1911), the individual primary colors appear in various shades.
• A milestone of Expressionism: one of the most significant graphic works from the Dresden “Brücke” period.
• Movement, energy, vitality: Kirchner interprets dance as “intensified life” with colorful, expressive intensity.
• Virtuoso hand-printing technique using the same stone in four steps, giving each sheet a unique character.
• The work shows prima ballerina Olga Preobrazhenskaya and ballet master Georges Kiakscht of the St. Petersburg Court Theater, whom Kirchner observed during a rehearsal in Dresden in 1909.
• Other copies of this small edition of only ten known lithographs are held in major collections, including the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Günther Gercken for his kind expert advice.
PROVENANCE: Presumably from the artist’s estate.
Christian Laely, Davos (removed from the aforementioned estate in 1946 and assigned to the fictional “Gervais Collection”; inscribed with the number “K FL 12” on the reverse).
Private collection, Berlin (acquired in 1987, Christie’s, London).
Acquired from the above by the current owner.
EXHIBITION: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner 1880–1938, Nationalgalerie Berlin, Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Nov. 29, 1979–Jan. 20, 1980; Haus der Kunst, Munich, Feb. 9–Apr. 13, 1980; Museum Ludwig at the Kunsthalle Cologne, April 29–June 8, 1980; Kunsthaus Zurich, June 20–August 10, 1980, cat. no. 52 (with color illustration on p. 127, different copy).
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Von Jena nach Davos. An exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Jena Art Association, Stadtmuseum Göhre in Jena, Oct. 10, 1993–Jan. 16, 1994, cat. no. 60 (with color illustration on p. 173, different copy).
Es gibt nur ein Programm: Freiheit! Kirchner, Nolde, Heckel, Schmidt-Rottluff, Amiet, and Hodler: Marking the 100th Anniversary of Botho Graef’s Death, Jena Municipal Museums, September 3–November 19, 2017, cat. no. 45 (with color illustration on p. 58, different copy).
Kirchners Kosmos: Der Tanz, KirchnerHAUS Aschaffenburg, September 21–December 30, 2018, cat. no. 3 (with color illustration on pp. 17 and 71, different copy).
LITERATURE: Günther Gercken, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Critical Catalog of Prints, vol. II (1909–1911), Bern 2013, CR no. 378 (with color illustration on p. 393, different copy).
Annemarie and Wolf-Dieter Dube, E. L. Kirchner. Das graphische Werk, vol. I, Munich 1967, CR no. L 130.
Gustav Schiefler, Die Graphik Ernst Ludwig Kirchners, vol. 1 (through 1916), Berlin-Charlottenburg 1926, CR no. 89.
- -
Eberhard W. Kornfeld, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Nachzeichnung seines Lebens, catalog of the collection of works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner at the Kirchner House in Davos, Bern 1979, no. 188 (with color illustration on p. 29, different copy).
Bernd Hünlich, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, “Russisches Tanzpaar” und seine Entstehung, in: Dresdener Kunstblätter, 1983, Vol. 83, No. 1, (with b&w illustration, different copy).
Christie’s, Manson & Woods, London, Important Modern and Contemporary Prints: The Collection of Peter Gidal and from Various Sources, Auction 3732, Dec. 2, 1987, lot 498 (with color illustration).
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1930, quoted from: Bemerkungen über Leben und Arbeit, in: Das Werk. Schweizer Monatsschrift für Architektur, freie Kunst, angewandte Kunst, vol. 17, no. 1, Zurich, January 1930, p. 3
1880 - 1938
Russisches Tänzerpaar. 1909.
Lithograph in colors in four colors (black, blue, rose red, and yellow).
Signed and inscribed "Handdruck". One of ten known copies. On wove paper. 33.5 x 39.4 cm (13.1 x 15.5 in). Sheet: 34,4 x 45,1 cm (13,5 x 17,7 in).
Twice stamped “Unverkäuflich E. L. Kirchner” (not for resale) on the reverse
According to Günther Gercken’s catalogue raisonné (Vol. II, 1909–1911), the individual primary colors appear in various shades.
• A milestone of Expressionism: one of the most significant graphic works from the Dresden “Brücke” period.
• Movement, energy, vitality: Kirchner interprets dance as “intensified life” with colorful, expressive intensity.
• Virtuoso hand-printing technique using the same stone in four steps, giving each sheet a unique character.
• The work shows prima ballerina Olga Preobrazhenskaya and ballet master Georges Kiakscht of the St. Petersburg Court Theater, whom Kirchner observed during a rehearsal in Dresden in 1909.
• Other copies of this small edition of only ten known lithographs are held in major collections, including the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Günther Gercken for his kind expert advice.
PROVENANCE: Presumably from the artist’s estate.
Christian Laely, Davos (removed from the aforementioned estate in 1946 and assigned to the fictional “Gervais Collection”; inscribed with the number “K FL 12” on the reverse).
Private collection, Berlin (acquired in 1987, Christie’s, London).
Acquired from the above by the current owner.
EXHIBITION: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner 1880–1938, Nationalgalerie Berlin, Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Nov. 29, 1979–Jan. 20, 1980; Haus der Kunst, Munich, Feb. 9–Apr. 13, 1980; Museum Ludwig at the Kunsthalle Cologne, April 29–June 8, 1980; Kunsthaus Zurich, June 20–August 10, 1980, cat. no. 52 (with color illustration on p. 127, different copy).
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Von Jena nach Davos. An exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Jena Art Association, Stadtmuseum Göhre in Jena, Oct. 10, 1993–Jan. 16, 1994, cat. no. 60 (with color illustration on p. 173, different copy).
Es gibt nur ein Programm: Freiheit! Kirchner, Nolde, Heckel, Schmidt-Rottluff, Amiet, and Hodler: Marking the 100th Anniversary of Botho Graef’s Death, Jena Municipal Museums, September 3–November 19, 2017, cat. no. 45 (with color illustration on p. 58, different copy).
Kirchners Kosmos: Der Tanz, KirchnerHAUS Aschaffenburg, September 21–December 30, 2018, cat. no. 3 (with color illustration on pp. 17 and 71, different copy).
LITERATURE: Günther Gercken, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Critical Catalog of Prints, vol. II (1909–1911), Bern 2013, CR no. 378 (with color illustration on p. 393, different copy).
Annemarie and Wolf-Dieter Dube, E. L. Kirchner. Das graphische Werk, vol. I, Munich 1967, CR no. L 130.
Gustav Schiefler, Die Graphik Ernst Ludwig Kirchners, vol. 1 (through 1916), Berlin-Charlottenburg 1926, CR no. 89.
- -
Eberhard W. Kornfeld, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Nachzeichnung seines Lebens, catalog of the collection of works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner at the Kirchner House in Davos, Bern 1979, no. 188 (with color illustration on p. 29, different copy).
Bernd Hünlich, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, “Russisches Tanzpaar” und seine Entstehung, in: Dresdener Kunstblätter, 1983, Vol. 83, No. 1, (with b&w illustration, different copy).
Christie’s, Manson & Woods, London, Important Modern and Contemporary Prints: The Collection of Peter Gidal and from Various Sources, Auction 3732, Dec. 2, 1987, lot 498 (with color illustration).
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1930, quoted from: Bemerkungen über Leben und Arbeit, in: Das Werk. Schweizer Monatsschrift für Architektur, freie Kunst, angewandte Kunst, vol. 17, no. 1, Zurich, January 1930, p. 3
A key source of inspiration for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was his fascination with dance and movement. During his years in Dresden—the formative period of the “Brücke” artists’ group—Kirchner regularly attended circus, dance, and variety shows. The impressions crystallized into a wealth of paintings, drawings, and prints that captured the rhythm and dynamics of moving bodies. Kirchner initially captured this scene as a drawing on a postcard to his fellow artist Erich Heckel: “Russian dancer at the Central—very nice. Best regards, Ernst” (Kirchner 1909, quoted from: Roman Norbert Ketterer and Annemarie Dube Heynig, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Postkarten und Briefe an Erich Heckel, Cologne 1984, no. 6). By “Central,” Kirchner refers to the Dresden Central Theater on Waisenhausstraße, which opened in 1899 and was known for its wide range of shows. Kirchner attended these performances repeatedly, fascinated by the costumes and the performers' energy, which he rendered in expressive compositions. As Gerd Presler aptly noted: “Dance condenses time into eternity. Kirchner liberates dance from all static frameworks and reveals it for what it truly is: crafted time. An event in the fourth dimension.” (Gerd Presler, quoted from: Kirchners Kosmos. Der Tanz, exhibition catalog, KirchnerHAUS Aschaffenburg, 2018, p. 17)
In this color lithograph, Kirchner captured a rehearsal scene of Russian prima ballerina Olga Preobrajensky and ballet master Georges Kiatschk of the St. Petersburg Court Theater, performing as guest artists at the Central Theater. The bold contours condense the couple’s motion, while the contrasting, vibrant colors lend the print an aura of immediacy, freshness, and tension. Kirchner particularly valued lithography for this artistic interpretation of the subject. As a brilliant draftsman, he used the technique to preserve the spontaneity of the free line and convey the moment's dynamic tension in the final work. Kirchner prints each sheet by hand without the assistance of a professional printer. This results in an extremely small edition of only ten known copies; each one is of unique character thanks to individual color nuances and the manual application of the printing ink, documenting Kirchner's experimental approach to printmaking. [KA]
In this color lithograph, Kirchner captured a rehearsal scene of Russian prima ballerina Olga Preobrajensky and ballet master Georges Kiatschk of the St. Petersburg Court Theater, performing as guest artists at the Central Theater. The bold contours condense the couple’s motion, while the contrasting, vibrant colors lend the print an aura of immediacy, freshness, and tension. Kirchner particularly valued lithography for this artistic interpretation of the subject. As a brilliant draftsman, he used the technique to preserve the spontaneity of the free line and convey the moment's dynamic tension in the final work. Kirchner prints each sheet by hand without the assistance of a professional printer. This results in an extremely small edition of only ten known copies; each one is of unique character thanks to individual color nuances and the manual application of the printing ink, documenting Kirchner's experimental approach to printmaking. [KA]