PAUL KLEE (1879-1940)
A LIFE OF COLLECTING: WORKS FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION
PAUL KLEE (1879-1940)

mir Hering?!

Details
PAUL KLEE (1879-1940)
mir Hering?!
signed 'Klee' (upper centre); dated, numbered and inscribed '1939 HH 18 mir Hering?!' (on the artist's mount)
pencil on paper laid down on the artist's mount
sheet: 11 5⁄8 x 8 ¼ in. (29.6 x 20.8 cm.)
artist's mount: 18 1⁄8 x 12 5⁄8 in. (46 x 32.1 cm.)
Drawn in 1939
Provenance
Raffaele Siervo, Milan, by 1973.
Anonymous sale, Finarte, Milan, 19 December 1979, lot 248.
Private collection, Turin, and thence by descent to the present owner.
Literature
C. Kroll, Die Bildtitel Paul Klees, Eine Studie zur Beziehung von Bild und Sprache in der Kunst des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts, Bonn, 1968, pp. 40 & 226.
The Paul Klee Foundation, ed., Paul Klee: Catalogue raisonné, vol. 8, 1939, Bern, 2004, no. 8364, p. 307 (illustrated).
H. Suter, Paul Klee und seine Krankheit. Vom Schicksal geschlagen, vom Leiden gezeichnet - und dennoch!, Bern, 2006, p. 66 (illustrated).
C. Hopfengart, 'Influenz. Klees Verhältnis zu Picasso zwischen heimlicher Bewunderung und kritischer Ironie', in Polyphone Resonanzen. Paul Klee und Frankreich, Berlin, 2010, p. 103 (illustrated).
A.B. Berghof, The Bookkeeper-Magician: Paul Klee and his Catalogue Raisonné, Princeton, 2023, pp. 32, 34-39 (illustrated p. 92).
A.B. Berghof, 'Name Games: Paul Klee's Titling as Self-Referential Practice', in Zwitscher-Maschine, no. 15, Bern, 2024, p. 33 (illustrated fig. 8, n.p.).

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Lot Essay

Christie’s is pleased to present A Life of Collecting: Works from an Important Private Collection. The product of a discerning collector’s lifelong and devoted aesthetic and intellectual pursuit, this private collection captures not only the evolving tastes and interests of one individual, but also his wider cultural and intellectual milieu. A selection of works from this esteemed grouping are presented at Christie’s this October as part of the 20th/21st Century London Sales Week.

The dental practice of this collector proved a surprising yet crucial point of genesis for the wider collection. It was here that he encountered many of the artists—initially crossing his threshold as patients—whose works he later acquired. Deeply curious and intellectually engaged, conversations he shared with these artists about art, life, and creative expression often deepened into lasting friendships and profound regard. His home, brimming with modern and contemporary artworks, interesting frames, rare books and manuscripts, similarly became a meeting place for some of the most influential artists of the day, drawing renowned figures of the Italian avant-garde and international contemporary art sphere.

With works by Fini, Grosz, Hoch, Hugnet and Klee, this collection stands as a testament to the dedication and passion of a remarkable individual, a vibrant historical record and intimate diary of encounter with artists and artworks which have shaped indelibly the landscape of modern and contemporary art.

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