Araberinnen (Afrikannerinnen)

Details

OSKAR KOKOSCHKA (1886-1980)
Araberinnen (Afrikannerinnen)
signed with initials 'OK' (lower left)
oil on canvas
35 x 51 1⁄8 in. (88.8 x 129.8 cm.)
Painted in Tunisia in 1928

Provenance

Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer, Berlin, by whom acquired on 16 June 1928.
Marczell von Nemes, Munich, by whom acquired on 20 November 1928.
Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer, Berlin, by whom acquired on 31 December 1930.
Kunsthandel Paul Cassirer & Co., Amsterdam, by whom acquired on 10 April 1931.
Buchholz Gallery [Curt Valentin], New York, by 1938.
Lothar Mohrenwitz, Zurich, in 1947; his estate sale, Galerie Fischer, Lucerne, 26 November 1960, lot 1901.
Private collection, Switzerland, by 1960, and thence by descent to the present owner.

Literature

G. Biermann, Oskar Kokoschka, Leipzig & Berlin, 1929 (illustrated on the frontispiece; titled 'Zwei Afrikanerinnen').
H. Heilmaier, Kokoschka, Paris, 1929 (illustrated pl. 32; titled 'Deux Africaines').
G. Ring, 'Der Junge Künstler und Sein Händler in Paris und Berlin', in Kunst und Künstler, Berlin, 1931, vol. 29, p. 179 (illustrated; titled 'Zwei Afrikanerinnen').
E. Waldmann, La Peinture allemande contemporaine, Paris, 1930 (illustrated pl. 39, titled 'Femmes d'Afrique').
M.G. Sarfatti, Storia della pittura moderna, Rome, 1930, p. 162 (illustrated; titled 'Due Africane').
W. Born, "Neue Bilder von Oskar Kokoschka", in Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Darmstadt, November 1930, vol. 67, p. 84 (illustrated; titled 'Afrikanerinnen').
H.F. Kraus, "Oskar Kokoschka oder: Das beleigidte Schönheitsideal" in Büchergilde, July 1937, Zurich, p. 104.
E. Hoffmann, Kokoschka, Life and Work, London, 1947, no. 222, p. 326 (illustrated pl. LI, titled 'Arab Women').
H.M. Wingler (ed.), Oskar Kokoschka, Orbis pictus, vol. II, Salzburg, 1951, pp. 5-6 (illustrated pl. II/3, p. 25).
P. Westheim (ed.), Oskar Kokoschka, Gestalten und Landschaften, Zurich, 1952 (illustrated; titled 'Arabische Frauen').
H.M. Wingler, Oskar Kokoschka, Das Werk des Malers, Salzburg, 1956, no. 234, p. 318 (illustrated).
H.M. Wingler, Kokoschka-Fibel, Salzburg, 1957, p. 128 (illustrated p. 129).
K.B. Palkovský, Oskar Kokoschka, Prague, 1958, (illustrated pl. 33, titled 'Arabské ženy').
B. Bultmann, Oskar Kokoschka, Salzburg, 1959, no. 24, p. 92 (illustrated p. 93).
W. Stadler, Vom Impressionismus zum Tachismus, Was sagt uns die moderne Malerei, Freiburg, 1964, p. 156 (illustrated no. 112; titled 'Arabische Frauen').
J.P. Hodin, Oskar Kokoschka, The Artist and His Time, London & Greenwich, 1966 (illustrated pl. 39; titled 'Arab Women').
J.P. Hodin, Oskar Kokoschka, Sein Leben Seine Zeit, London, 1968, p. 279.
F. Novotny, "Zu Oskar Kokoschkas Bildern aus dem Orient", in Bustan, Vienna, 1968, vol. 9, pp. 84-85.
O. Kokoschka, Mein Leben, Munich, 1971, pp. 216-217.
G. Gatt, Oskar Kokoschka, Lucerne, 1972, p. 85 (illustrated pl. 28).
O. Kokoschka & H. Spielmann (eds.), Oskar Kokoschka Briefe, vol. II, 1919-1934, Dusseldorf, 1985, pp. 183-184 (letters from 26, 28 & 29 January 1928).
K. Erling, "Das eigentliche Thema ist das Erlebnis der Weigkeit, Reise nach Nordafrika", exh. cat., Seedamm Kulturzentrum, Pfäffikon, 2005, p. 97.
G. Bauer, Kokoschkas malerisches 'Erlebnis' des Orients - die Orientbilder der Reisen 'zu den Grenzen des Abendlandes' in den Jahren 1928, 1929 und 1930, dis., University of Vienna, 2008, pp. 93-94 (illustrated p. 93).
K. Erling, W. Feilchenfeldt & Fondation Oskar Kokoschka, Oskar Kokoschka. Die Gemälde Online (https://www.oskar-kokoschka.ch/de/1020/Online-Werkkatalog), Vevey, no. 1928-2 (illustrated). Accessed on 26 March 2024.

Exhibited

London, The Leicester Galleries, Catalogue of an Exhibition of Paintings by Oskar Kokoschka, June 1928, no. 15, p. 12 (titled 'Two African Girls').
Munich, Glaspalast, Deutsche Kunstausstellung, May - October 1930, no. 1298, p. 40 (titled 'Zwei Mädchen').
Mannheim, Städtische Kunsthalle, Oskar Kokoschka, Das gesammelte Werk, January - March 1931, no. 76, p. 14 (illustrated p. 20; titled 'Zwei Arabermädchen').
Paris, Galeries Georges Petit, Oskar Kokoschka, March - April 1931, no. 33, p. 3 (illustrated p. 4; titled 'Deux filles africaines').
Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, Nyere tysk kunst, Maleri og skulptur, January 1932, no. 94 (titled 'Afrikanske piker'); this exhibition later travelled to Copenhagen, Den Frie Udstilling, May 1932, no. 110 (titled 'Afrikanske piger').
Vienna, Neue Galerie, Oskar Kokoschka, Gemälde, Aquarelle und Zeichnungen 1927-1932, October 1932 (titled 'Die Orientalinnen').
Zurich, Kunsthaus, Ausstellung, April - May 1935, no. 87 (titled 'Zwei Arabermädchen').
Vienna, Österreichischen Museum für Kunst und Industrie, Oskar Kokoschka, May - June 1937, no. 17, p. 7 (illustrated; titled 'Arabische Mädchen' and dated '1930').
New York, Buchholz Gallery, Oskar Kokoschka, September - October 1938, no. 3 (titled 'The Arabian Girls').
Toledo, Museum of Art, Contemporary Movements in European Painting, Surrealism; Abstract Art; Futurism; Expressionism; Cubism; Dadaism; Fauves, November - December 1938, no. 52 (illustrated; titled 'Two Arabian Girls').
Basel, Kunsthalle, Oskar Kokoschka, March - April 1947, no. 133 (titled 'Arabische Mädchen' and dated '1925'); this exhibition later travelled to Zurich, Kunsthaus, July - August 1947, no. 36, p. 15 (titled 'Arabische Mädchen').
Munich, Haus der Kunst, Oskar Kokoschka, Aus seinem Schaffen 1907-1950, September - October 1950, no. 64, p. 55 (illustrated p. 40; titled 'Arabische Frauen'); this exhibition later travelled to Hamburg, Kunsthalle, November - December 1950; Manheim, Kunsthalle, January 1951 and Berlin, Schloß Charlottenburg, February - March 1951.
Vienna, Künstlerhaus, Oskar Kokoschka, May - July 1958, no. 85, p. 122.
London, The Tate Gallery, Kokoschka, A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, Lithographs, Stage Designs and Books, September - November 1962, no. 102, p. 40 (illustrated pl. 30, p. 66; titled 'Arab women').
Karlsruhe, Badischer Kunstverein, Oskar Kokoschka, Das Portrait, Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen 1907-1966, August - November 1966, no. 43 (illustrated).
Zurich, Kunsthaus, Oskar Kokoschka, June - July 1966, no. 66, p. 36.
Munich, Haus der Kunst, Oskar Kokoschka, Bildnisse von 1907-1970, July - September 1971, no. 29, p. 24 (illustrated).
Vienna, Österreichische Galerie im Oberen Belvedere, Oskar Kokoschka, zum 85. Geburtstag, April - June 1971, no. 52, p. 48 (illustrated pl. 38).
Vevey, Musée Jenisch, Hommage à Oskar Kokoschka, April - June 1984, no. 13, p. 34 (titled 'Femmes bédouines').

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Lot Essay

Oskar Kokoschka’s Araberinnen (Afrikannerinnen) is a captivating and culturally rich work that highlights the artist’s profound ability to capture human psychology and cultural diversity. Painted during a pivotal journey in Tunisia, the piece reflects both the specificity of its setting and the universal themes of community and daily life. Through his dynamic composition and expressive use of colour, Kokoschka invites viewers to engage with the vibrant world he so vividly portrays.

Created in 1928 during Kokoschka’s travels in Tunisia, this work reflects the artist’s fascination with North African culture and the vibrant life he encountered there. The painting depicts a group of women, presumably Arab or Berber, sitting on a desertic landscape and curiously gazing into the viewer’s eyes, drawing the beholder into the scene. Kokoschka’s composition is both dynamic and harmonious, characterized by the artist’s signature loose brushwork and vivid colour palette. Kokoschka’s use of colour is particularly noteworthy; the rich, earthy tones reflect the North African landscape, while the bright, contrasting hues bring the scene to life. As the literature recounts, this work captures the fascination triggered in the two women by the artist’s use of a lighter. It is a portrayal of the transcultural fleeting encounter between the two worlds. While the women’s traditional attire and setting provide a glimpse into the cultural milieu of Tunisia in the late 1920s, their pose and expression invite the artist-viewer to enter in a dialogue with their thoughts and culture.

Kokoschka’s visit to Tunisia in 1928 was part of a broader trend among European artists seeking inspiration from non-Western cultures. This period of travel allowed Kokoschka to explore new themes and techniques, enriching his artistic vocabulary. Araberinnen (Afrikannerinnen) stands as a testament to this fruitful period in his career, reflecting both his personal experiences and his broader artistic ambitions. This work represents a celebration of cultural diversity and the everyday lives of women in Tunisia. Kokoschka’s empathetic portrayal suggests a deep respect for his subjects and interest in depicting human emotions and social interactions. By focusing on the portrayal of women, Kokoschka highlights their role in society and the communal bonds that shape their lives.

The present work is an evocative masterpiece that exemplifies the artist’s bold and expressive style. Known for his psychological portraits and expressive landscapes, Kokoschka here captures the essence of his subjects with both sensitivity and intensity.

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