El Lissitzky (1890-1941)

I. Kestnermappe Proun, Rob. Leunis and Chapman GmbH, Hanover, 1923

Details

El Lissitzky (1890-1941)
I. Kestnermappe Proun, Rob. Leunis and Chapman GmbH, Hanover, 1923
lithographs printed in colours, 1919-23, on smooth wove paper, title, justification and the extremely rare set of six of which two with collage, very fine impressions, the justification signed in red ink, otherwise each plate signed in pencil, copy number 11 from the edition of 50, with margins or printed to the edge of the full sheet as published, the justification with minor traces of surface dirt, two plates with very soft, barely visible rippling at the right edge, otherwise with some very pale, scattered foxing, pale discoloration, generally in very good condition, loose in the original grey-green portfolio, with printed title and collage on the front, a surface abrasion on the title, some water-staining and discoloration, other minor defects(portfolio)
overall S. 24 x 17¾in. (610 x 452mm.)

Provenance

Museum Stettin, de-accessioned as 'Entartete Kunst', the stamp on front cover, justification, and verso of lower folder flap

Literature

S. Lissitzky-Kppers, El Lissitzky, New York, 1992, nos. 47-51 Dr. A. Waldstein, Moderne Kunst, Band I, Essen, 1929, p. 71 F. Roth, Entartete Kunst, Hanover, 1962, p. 178
P. Vogt, Dokumente zur Geschichte des Museum Folkwang, Essen, 1983, p. 143

Lot Essay

It was Kurt Schwitters who introduced Lissitzky in 1922 to the Kestner Gessellschaft in Hanover. This society, founded on 10 June 1916, played an important part in fostering the most important representatives of the new art. Sophie Kppers, the former artistic director's widow (who later became El Lissitzky's wife), was fascinated by his works and decided to organize his first solo exhibition at the Kestner Gessellschaft at the end of 1922 and beginning of 1923. As it proved to be such a great success, the directors commissioned the artist to execute a portfolio of lithographs as a new year's gift for the members of the society.

This portfolio typifies Lissitzky's work from the Proun period during the years 1919-1924 and concentrates on his spatial experiments. The lithographs formed part of his first Proun-room that he designed for the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1923. This room was non-objective in design and was used to exhibit non-objective paintings and sculptures. Lissitzky arranged his Proun relief-constructions in such a way that they guided the visitor's eye around the room. Plate eight of the portfolio is a graphic interpretation of the exhibition room and enables us to envisage what his first proun-room looked like (see comparative illustration).
The first, now rare Kestner portfolio is a most important testament of the Constructivism movement in Germany.

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