Lot Essay
Nolde and his wife Ada moved to a farm in Seebüll in 1926 for their summer residence. There he planted a lush flower garden with the beds arranged to spell 'A' and 'E' for Ada and Emil. He filled them with sunflowers, amaryllis, poppies, roses, peonies, iris, and camellias. With its dominating frontality, Heller Mohn und weisse Päonien captures the intensity of a corner of his spring garden in full bloom.
Peter Selz writes "His finest flower pictures are removed from all environmental relationships. Like waves seen with out coastlines, they are painted without soil, or vase. Nolde presents us only with petals, stamens, pistils and perhaps a few leaves. These he humanizes with his own emotions." (Nolde, exh. cat., New York, 1963, p. 49).
Nolde was labelled a 'degenerate' artist by the Nazis and forbidden to paint, and so in 1941 he withdrew to his residence in Seebüll. Over 1,000 of his pictures and graphic works were confiscated from German museums. The present work was purchased by Dr Heidenreich in the summer of 1941 from Nolde, who rented an apartment from him at Bayernallee 12, in Berlin.
Peter Selz writes "His finest flower pictures are removed from all environmental relationships. Like waves seen with out coastlines, they are painted without soil, or vase. Nolde presents us only with petals, stamens, pistils and perhaps a few leaves. These he humanizes with his own emotions." (Nolde, exh. cat., New York, 1963, p. 49).
Nolde was labelled a 'degenerate' artist by the Nazis and forbidden to paint, and so in 1941 he withdrew to his residence in Seebüll. Over 1,000 of his pictures and graphic works were confiscated from German museums. The present work was purchased by Dr Heidenreich in the summer of 1941 from Nolde, who rented an apartment from him at Bayernallee 12, in Berlin.