August Macke (1887-1914)
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August Macke (1887-1914)

Vor der Regatta

Details
August Macke (1887-1914)
Vor der Regatta
titled and dated 'Vor der Regatta 1912' (on the reverse)
watercolour, charcoal and brush and black ink on paper
14 3/8 x 17½ in. (36.5 x 44.5 cm.)
Executed in Bonn in 1912
Provenance
The artist's estate (no. FT - 17, i.e. 'Farbige Tuschbilder 17').
Dr. Rusche, Cologne.
Mr. Blume, Benzberg (1947-48).
Galerie Grosshennig, Dusseldorf.
Acquired from the above by Wilhelm Reinold, Hamburg, on 29 April 1967 and thence by descent to the present owners.
Literature
G. Vriesen, August Macke, Stuttgart, 1957, no. 187 (illustrated p. 283).
Exh. cat. Aquarell-Ausstellung, Bielefield, 1957, no. 187 (illustrated p. 27).
U. Heiderich, August Macke Aquarelle. Werkverzeichnis, Stuttgart, 1997, no. 189 (illustrated p. 247).
Exhibited
Hamburg, Kunstverein, August Macke, Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, 1968, no. 112. This exhibition travelled to Frankfurt am Mein, Kunstverein, 1969.
Münster, Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulrtugeschichte, August Macke 1887-1914, Aquarelle und Zeichnungen, December 1976 - February 1977, no. 129 (illustrated p. 151). This exhibition later travelled to Bonn, Städtisches Kunstmuseum, 1977 and to Krefeld, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum 1977.
Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, August Macke 1887-1914, March - May 1998, no. 36 (illustrated p. 113).
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Executed in 1912, Vor der Regatta dates from the years just after August Macke and his wife Elisabeth had moved back to Bonn, where her family was based, from Tegernsee near Munich. This change of situation had an immediate impact on Macke's life and his work. While Munich was full of artists at the time and a number of them lived in the region south of the city, Bonn was a very calm little town, and this made it possible for Macke to have a studio in which he could work for the very first time.

During this time, Macke's subject matter in his paintings and works on paper was mainly found in people on the street, strolling, passing by, visitors of the garden cafés, the zoological garden and the theatre. While in 1912 Macke executed a number of oils that are now considered very important, many of his sketches, watercolours and drawings were of subjects not related to specifis paintings. Thus, while the angular style and the juxtaposition of colour fields recall his celebrated paintings of people by shop windows, Vor der Regatta stands as a unique work in his oeuvre.

1912 was a crucial year for Macke. From December 1911 to January 1912, Galerie Thannhauser in Munich had shown the Ausstellung der Redaktion Der Blaue Reiter. Amongst the 14 artists represented were Rousseau, Campendonck, Marc, Münter and Kandinsky. Macke himself had three works on display. Later in the same year, another mlestone exhibition that included his work took place: the Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne. Macke not only exhibited, but also was involved in the organisation of this unique event, reflecting his increasing importance and recognition at the forefront of the German avant garde.

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