THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTOR
Otto Mueller (1874-1930)

Zwei Mädchen im Wald

Details
Otto Mueller (1874-1930)
Zwei Mädchen im Wald
signed 'Otto Mueller' (lower right)
watercolour and wax crayon on paper
20 x 26in. (50.8 x 66cm.)
Executed circa 1925
Provenance
Sarah Reed Blodgett, Portland, Oregon, and thence by descent to the present owner.
Exhibited
Portland, Oregon, Art Museum, The Collection of Sarah Reed Blodgett of Portland: European and American Paintings, Sculptures, Drawings and Prints, 1965, no. 53.

Lot Essay

"The subject of nudes in natural settings has been one of Mueller's favoured motifs even before he joined Die Brücke. The theme complemented the interest of the group, which in part explains their admiration of Mueller's work...By depicting naked people out-of-doors, Die Brücke hoped to overcome social constraints and moral conventions...Moreover, the representation of nudes was linked to the goal of evoking an original and pristine state of being, based upon the idea of humankind as an integral part of nature." (R. Boardingham, Prized Possessions, p. 188.)

Mueller himself stated "the ultimate goal of my struggle is to express my feelings for landscapes and for man with the greatest possible simplicity".

Florian Karsch has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.

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