Lot 3281* - A201 Art Impressionniste & Moderne - vendredi, 01. juillet 2022, 17h00
LYONEL FEININGER
(1871 New York 1956)
Mural for the Marine Transportation Building, New York World's Fair 1939. 1938.
Watercolour and ink on paper.
Signed and dated lower right: Feininger 1938.
Titled lower centre: Mural for the Marine Transportation Building / New York World's Fair 1939.
Titled lower centre: Mural for the Marine Transportation Building / New York World's Fair 1939.
18.7 × 63.5 cm.
The work is registered in the archive of the Lyonel Feininger Projet LLC, New York/Berlin, under number 426-03-03-11.
Provenance:
- Curt Sachs, Berlin, acquired directly from the artist.
- Gabrielle Forrest, New Jersey, by descent from the above.
- Private collection USA, by descent from the above in 2009.
- Auction Christie's, New York, 5.5.2011, lot 159.
- Galerie Wienerroiter & Kohlbacher, Vienna.
- Private collection Germany, acquired from the above gallery on 26.8.2013.
When Lyonel Feininger left Germany after a good five decades, the Bauhaus Master ventured into an uncertain future. As a German in America of the mid-1930s, he was unlikely to receive many new commissions. It was not until he was commissioned to paint a mural for the Transportation Building at the New York World's Fair in 1939 that his strained financial situation improved. For the exhibition building of the American shipping companies in Queens, Feininger was commissioned to produce a mural to be shown in the entrance area next to two huge ship's bows. The watercolour offered here represents a preliminary study created on a 1:60 scale of the 36.6 x 7.6 meter final size. Feininger's early fascination with technology and all things maritime are evident here — from Columbus's caravels to the clipper ships of the 19th century and the large passenger liners of the 20th century, the development of shipping is depicted as a "Tour d'Horizon" in five periods. The composition is notable for its highly sophisticated harmony of proportion and colour, with its palette carefully coordinated with the wall colours of the building, and provides the viewer with a clear sense of the mural's appearance at the World's Fair. Thus, this work combines a biographical twist of fate with Feininger's constructive thinking and early passion for shipping.
Provenance:
- Curt Sachs, Berlin, acquired directly from the artist.
- Gabrielle Forrest, New Jersey, by descent from the above.
- Private collection USA, by descent from the above in 2009.
- Auction Christie's, New York, 5.5.2011, lot 159.
- Galerie Wienerroiter & Kohlbacher, Vienna.
- Private collection Germany, acquired from the above gallery on 26.8.2013.
When Lyonel Feininger left Germany after a good five decades, the Bauhaus Master ventured into an uncertain future. As a German in America of the mid-1930s, he was unlikely to receive many new commissions. It was not until he was commissioned to paint a mural for the Transportation Building at the New York World's Fair in 1939 that his strained financial situation improved. For the exhibition building of the American shipping companies in Queens, Feininger was commissioned to produce a mural to be shown in the entrance area next to two huge ship's bows. The watercolour offered here represents a preliminary study created on a 1:60 scale of the 36.6 x 7.6 meter final size. Feininger's early fascination with technology and all things maritime are evident here — from Columbus's caravels to the clipper ships of the 19th century and the large passenger liners of the 20th century, the development of shipping is depicted as a "Tour d'Horizon" in five periods. The composition is notable for its highly sophisticated harmony of proportion and colour, with its palette carefully coordinated with the wall colours of the building, and provides the viewer with a clear sense of the mural's appearance at the World's Fair. Thus, this work combines a biographical twist of fate with Feininger's constructive thinking and early passion for shipping.
CHF 70 000 / 100 000 | (€ 72 160 / 103 090)
Vendu pour CHF 110 100 (frais inclus)
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