Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
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Period: Early 20th Century
The Chair - Lithograph by Raoul Dufy - 1920
By Raoul Dufy
Located in Roma, IT
The Chairis a vintage lithograph realized after Raoul Dufy in 1920.
Good conditions.
Edition of 110. Not signed and not numbered, as issued.
The artwork is depicted through confid...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$198 Sale Price
25% Off
Landlord - Original Lithograph and Offset by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
Landlord is an original vintage offset and lithograph print realized by George Grosz.
The artwork is plate n.29 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of ...
Category
Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
$324 Sale Price
25% Off
"Reclined Woman w/Necklace" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print - Courtesans Folio
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Chicago, IL
Plate #7 from Gustav Klimt's 1907 "Dialogues of the Courtesans" portfolio, consisting of 15 collotypes on cream japon paper. The drawings in this folio are said to be studies for Klimt's well-known Water Serpents paintings...
Category
Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
Klimt, Fragmente aus dem Beethovenfries, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt (after)
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Héliogravure, collotype vélin paper. Paper Size: 18.23 x 17.32 inches; image size: 14.69 x 12.87 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the f...
Category
Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$23,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Nude - Lithograph by Andrè Derain - 1929
By André Derain
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is a modern artwork realized by Andrè Derain in Early 20th century.
Lithograph on simili-Japan paper.
Realized for "Les Travaux et les Jeux" by Vincent Muselli. Published by J...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$315 Sale Price
25% Off
Picasso, Composition (Hodorisch B2), Le manuscrit trouvé dans un chapeau (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin des papeteries Lafúma paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the album, Le manuscrit trouvé dans un chapeau, orné de dessins a la ...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Whitelaw Reid, New York Tribune, Vanity Fair American caricature portrait, 1897
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'New York Tribune'
Chromolithograph. 1902.
Vanity Fair portrait of Whitelaw Reid who was a US politician and newspaper editor.
395mm by 265mm (sheet)
Category
Victorian Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
The Shadowed Valley.
Located in Storrs, CT
Sir Frank Short, R.A., P.R.E. 1857-1945. The Shadowed Valley. 1927. Mezzotint. Hardie 128. 14 3/8 x 19 3/8 (sheet 19 x 24). A rich, glowing impression p...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Mezzotint
$2,750 Sale Price
38% Off
Untitled (Nike)
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Boris Lovet-Lorski, Untitled (Nike), lithograph, edition 250, 1929. Signed and numbered 1 in pencil. Number 1 of Volume 1, a series of 10 lithographs in each of 2 portfolios, publish...
Category
Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
A Drink - by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
Champagne is an offset lithograph, realized by George Grosz.
The artwork is the plate n. 77 from the porfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of Der Malik-Verlag Berl...
Category
Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
$361 Sale Price
25% Off
Sale and Marketing Kiosk for P Cigarettes (Bauhaus) (20% OFF + Free Shipping)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Herbert Bayer
Sale and Marketing Kiosk for P Cigarettes (Verkauf- und Werbekiosk, Zigarettenmarke P ), 1924
Offset Lithograph
Year: 1994
Size: 33.2 × 23.2 inches
Publisher: Bauhaus A...
Category
Bauhaus Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$120 Sale Price
20% Off
'The Lord Mayor' (Sir Joseph Dimsdale), Vanity Fair caricature portrait, 1902
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'The Lord Mayor'
Chromolithograph. 1902.
Vanity Fair portrait of Sir Joseph Cockfield Dimsdale (1849-1912), Lord Mayor of London 1901-1902.
With original descriptive text.
395mm...
Category
Victorian Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Roofs, Summer Night.
Located in Storrs, CT
Roofs, Summer Night. 1906. Etching. Morse catalog 137 state ii. 5 1/4 x 7 (sheet 9 1/2 x 12 1/8). Series: New York City Life. A fine impression on cream ...
Category
American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
$3,400 Sale Price
20% Off
Jèsus sera en Agonie jusqu'à la fin du Monde; from Folio Miserere, 1922
Located in Soquel, CA
Jèsus sera en Agonie jusqu'à la fin du Monde; from Folio Miserere, 1922
Aquatint of Jesus' crucifixion by Georges Rouault (French, 1871-1958). Jesus is depicted with his head lowere...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Aquatint
Original Your Country Needs You! Join the Navy Now! vintage WW1 poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original WW1 poster: "Your Country Needs You! Join the Navy Now!"
Original poster printed by the U.S. Food Administration during World War One. Archi...
Category
American Realist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$1,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Klimt, Kreuz in einem Bauerngarten, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt (after)
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Héliogravure, collotype vélin paper. Paper Size: 18.23 x 17.32 inches; image size: 11.69 x 11.65 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the f...
Category
Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$23,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Gustav Klimt "Study for Woman in Boa" collotype from Funfundzwanzig folio
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Chicago, IL
Title page numbered: 263/450
Category
Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
"Couple Making Love" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesans Folio
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Chicago, IL
Plate #4 from Gustav Klimt's 1907 "Dialogues of the Courtesans" portfolio, consisting of 15 collotypes on cream japon paper. The drawings in this folio are said to be studies for Kli...
Category
Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
Sir Edwin Ray Lankester, Vanity Fair zoologist taxidermy caricature portrait
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'His religion is the worship of all sorts of winged and finny freaks'
Chromolithograph, 1905.
Vanity Fair portrait of of Sir Edwin Ray Lankester. KCB, FRS (1847 -1929) was an inve...
Category
Victorian Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Art Deco City Scene with Motor Car print by Gerald Mac Spink
Located in London, GB
To see our other Modern British Art, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the artist you ...
Category
Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Woodcut
l'Inspecteur des Beaux-Arts (The Fine Art Inspector)
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "l'Inspecteur des Beaux-Arts (The Fine Art Inspector)" 1901, is an original color etching and aquatint by renown French artist Louis Auguste Mathieu Legrand, 1863...
Category
Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Shadows on the Ramp
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Shadows on the Ramp. 1927. Drypoint and sand ground. McCarron 64. 9 x 10 1/2 (sheet 12 3/8 x 14). Edition 75 recorded impressions. A rich, tonal impression with drypoint burr, printe...
Category
American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Drypoint, Etching
Still Life - Lithograph by Raoul Dufy - 1920
By Raoul Dufy
Located in Roma, IT
Still Life is a lithograph realized by Raoul Dufy in 1920.
Good conditions.
Edition of 110.
The artwork is depicted through confident strokes in a well-balanced composition.
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$225 Sale Price
25% Off
Vanity Fair 'Joe', portrait of Sir Joseph Lyons
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'Joe'
Hentschel-Colourtype. 1910.
Vanity Fair portrait of Sir Joseph Lyons who founded the famous Cafe shops.
380mm by 265mm (sheet)
Category
Victorian Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Theatre - Lithograph by Raoul Dufy - 1920
By Raoul Dufy
Located in Roma, IT
Theatre is a lithograph realized by Raoul Dufy in 1920.
Good conditions.
Edition of 110.
The artwork is depicted through confident strokes in a well-balanced composition.
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$225 Sale Price
25% Off
Klimt, Der Goldene Apfelbaum, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt (after)
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Héliogravure, collotype vélin paper. Paper Size: 18.23 x 17.32 inches; image size: 11.85 x 11.73 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the f...
Category
Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$23,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Profile of an African Woman —1920s Modernism
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Boris Lovet-Lorski, Untitled (Profile of an African Woman), lithograph, edition 250, 1929. Signed and numbered 15 in pencil. Number 15 of Volume 2, a series of 10 lithographs publish...
Category
American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$760 Sale Price
20% Off
The Dance - Original Etching by Louis Jou - Early 20th Century
By Louis Jou
Located in Roma, IT
The Dance is an original etching realized by Louis Jou in the Early 20th Century.
Monogrammed on the lower.
Good conditions with some foxing.
Louis Jou (Gracia, 1882 - Baux, 1968), the twentieth-century etcher and wood engraver, was a prolific illustrator of a large number of books in France, authored by big names like Andre Gide...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
Winter Wildfowling
By Frank Benson
Located in New York, NY
This 1927 etching by Frank W. Benson is entitled Winter Wildfowling. Printed in an edition of 150 this impression is signed in pencil, lower left. The image size 11 7/8 x 9 7/8" (30 x 24.8 cm) and sheet size 15 1/16 x 12 5/8" (38.3 x 32 cm).
FRANK W. BENSON (1862-1951)
Frank Weston Benson, well known for his American impressionist paintings, also produced an incredible body of prints - etchings, drypoints, and a few lithographs. Born and raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Benson, a natural outdoorsman, grew up sailing, fishing, and hunting. From a young age, he was fascinated with drawing and birding – this keen interest continued throughout his life.
His first art instruction was with Otto Grundman at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and then in 1883 in Paris at the Academie Julian where he studied the rigorous ‘ecole des beaux arts’ approach to drawing and painting for two years.
During the early 1880’s Seymour Haden visited Boston giving a series of lectures on etching. This introduction to the European etching...
Category
American Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
Klimt, Bauernhaus mit Birken, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt (after)
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Héliogravure, collotype vélin paper. Paper Size: 18.23 x 17.32 inches; image size: 11.69 x 11.77 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the f...
Category
Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$23,996 Sale Price
20% Off
"Toy Horse Dance" Japanese Woodblock Triptych with Beauties and Mt Fuji
Located in Soquel, CA
"Toy Horse Dance" Japanese Woodblock Triptych with Beauties and Mt Fuji
Vibrant three-panel woodblock print by Utagawa Toyohiro (Japanese,...
Category
Edo Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut
The European Macabre Dance N.6 - Lithograph by A. Martini - 1915
Located in Roma, IT
The European Macabre Dance N.6 is a hand-colored lithograph, from the Series "La Danza Macabra Europea" illustrated by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 – Milan, 1954) in 1915.
Signed ...
Category
Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$414 Sale Price
25% Off
"Laderlappen" Original Lithograph Poster by Walter Schnackenberg
Located in Chicago, IL
Printed by Oscar Consee, Munich, 1922
Not much is known about this Stockholm-based cabaret act. Translating literally as Bat Man, we see a young dancer tease an oversized bat wearing a monocle -- a truly bizarre but beautiful design. (text by Jack Rennert)
Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery...
Category
Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Nijinsky as 'the poet' in Les Sylphides.
Located in London, GB
BARBIER, George.
Nijinsky as 'the poet' in Les Sylphides.
London, C. W. Beaumont, 1913.
‘The designs, although somewhat fantastic in treatment, do convey the impression produced b...
Category
Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
The European Macabre Dance N.7 - Lithograph by A. Martini - 1915
Located in Roma, IT
The European Macabre Dance N.7 is a hand-colored lithograph, from the Series "La Danza Macabra Europea" illustrated by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 – Milan, 1954) in 1915.
Signed on the plate, Original Edition.
Published by Domenico Longo, Treviso.
Handcolored lithographic postcards.
Very good conditions.
Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 - Milan, 1954); was an Italian draftsman, painter, engraver and illustrator, forerunner of the surrealist movement...
Category
Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$415 Sale Price
25% Off
Matisse, Crayon, Dessins de Henri-Matisse (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin Lafuma paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, Dessins de Henri-Matisse, 1925. Published by Édi...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$956 Sale Price
20% Off
Don Quixote
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on a large sheet of light cream wove paper, Baron Dominique Vivant Denon (after Jean-Honoré Fragonard); Paris: c 1900; 4 3/4 x 3 1/2 inc...
Category
French School Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Handmade Paper, Etching
Analysis of Various Evils - Lithograph and Stencil
Located in Paris, IDF
Paul KLEE (after)
Analysis of Various Evils
Lithograph and stencil (Jacomet process)
Printed signature in the plate
On canson vellum 50 x 38.2 cm (19.6 x 14.9 in)
INFORMATION : Thi...
Category
Surrealist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Stencil
$721 Sale Price
25% Off
Moody Untitled 1920s Boris Anisfeld Lithograph of Figures and City Buildings
Located in Chicago, IL
A ca. 1920s moody, Modernist lithograph by notable artist Boris Israelevich Anisfeld, depicting figures and buildings. Artwork size: 11 3/4" x 9". Archivally matted to 16" x 14".
...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Paper
Original Americans All! Honor Roll - Victory Libery Loan vintage poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original 1919 Vintage "Americans All!" Victory Liberty Loan Poster by Howard Chandler Christy. Archival linen backed in A- condition, ready to frame.
This iconic 1919 "American...
Category
American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Akt mit Fächer
By Marc Chagall
Located in New York, NY
A superb, richly-inked impression of an early etching and drypoint. With burr throughout and crisp plate edges. First state (of 2). Edition of 100. Signed in pencil by Chagall. Print...
Category
Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Drypoint, Etching
Nijinsky and Karsavina in Le Spectre de la Rose.
Located in London, GB
BARBIER, George.
Nijinsky and Karsavina in Le Spectre de la Rose.
London, C. W. Beaumont, 1913.
‘The designs, although somewhat fantastic in treatment, do convey the impression ...
Category
Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
'La Danse' (Dance) — French Cubist Woodcut
By Raoul Dufy
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Raoul Dufy, 'La Danse' (Dance), woodcut, 1910. A proof impression before the second edition of 220 in 1953; with the estate stamp 'ATELIER RAOUL DUFY' in the lower right margin; the blind stamp 'GG' in the lower left sheet corner. Annotated 'E/Z' in pencil, beneath the estate stamp; and 'bois original' in the margin, lower left. Titled in the block, lower right. A superb, richly-inked impression, on heavy, cream wove paper; the full sheet with wide margins (3 1/2 to 6 3/4 inches); slight toning at the bottom and right sheet edges, well away from the image, otherwise in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted.
Image size 12 5/16 x 12 1/2 inches (313 x 318 mm); sheet size 19 3/4 x 25 3/4 inches (502 x 654 mm).
Collections: Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia), Brooklyn Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Nasher Museum of Art (Duke University), Toledo Art Museum.
From the suite of four woodcuts entitled 'Les Plaisirs de la Paix' (The Pleasures of Peace), published by Éditions de La Sirène, Paris in 1926. The other three works in the series are 'La Peche' (Fishing), 'La Chase' (The Hunt), and 'L'amore' (Love). See our other listings for 'La Peche' and 'L'amore'.
Collections: Brooklyn Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Cleveland Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Minneapolis Art...
Category
Cubist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Woodcut
Mort de l'Amour, Series of 8 Erotic Limited-Edition Wood Engravings.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A set of 8 erotic early 20th Century wood engravings on arches paper, a limited edition, number 241 of 1000, by Andre Rouveyre. Produced by Kauffmann on...
Category
Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper, Ink
"Yanagibashi in Snow, " Color Woodcut Portrait with Umbrella
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Yanagibashi in Snow" is an original color woodcut by Utagawa Kunisada. This woodblock print depicts a woman walking in the snow near the Motoyanagi canal, which was located in Tokyo...
Category
Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Woodcut
La Toilette Assise, Framed Impressionist Lithograph by Pierre Bonnard
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Pierre Bonnard, French (1867 - 1947)
Title: La Toilette Assise
Year: 1925
Medium: Lithograph, signed 'PB' in the plate, signed 'P. Bonnard' lower right and numbered lower lef...
Category
Post-Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Original Biere Allary antique French beer advertsing poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Biere Allary vintage French beer poster. Art Deco time frame. Excellent condition and ready to frame. The image features a Viking-style name...
Category
Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Erotic Scene - Lithograph by Toyen - 1927
By Toyen
Located in Roma, IT
Erotic scene is an artwork realized by Toyen in 1923.
Mixed colored watercolored lithograph.
The artwork is an illustration from the book Pybrac written by Pierre Louÿs (1870-1925...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$405 Sale Price
25% Off
Ettore Tito (1859-1941) - On a Souvent Besoin.... Art Deco Pochoir Print
By Ettore Tito
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Art Deco original pochoir print.
Please find the dimensions of the artwork:
20 x 15 cm - Dimensions of the image
26 x 20 cm - Dimensions of the paper
28 x 22,5 cm - Framed dimensi...
Category
Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
Invocation
By Max Weber
Located in New York, NY
M a x W e b e r – – 1 8 8 1 – 1 9 6 1
Invocation- – 1919-20, Color Woodcut.
Rubenstein 27. Proofs only. Signed in pencil.
Image size 3 3/4 x 2 1/8 inches (124 x 54 mm); sheet size ...
Category
Cubist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Woodcut
$13,500
"Retreat from Marignano" set of 3 Copper Plate Prints
Located in Chicago, IL
The three prints included in this set are: "Retreat from Marignano", "Retreat from Marignano (left panel)", "Retreat from Marignano (right panel)".
2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extolling his artistic merits during his lifetime to showing something of a feigned disdain- more reflective of the world political order than a true change of heart for Hodler’s work. After years of Hodler being all but a footnote in the annals of art history and generally ignored, finally, the pendulum has righted itself once again. Recent retrospective exhibitions in Europe and the United States have indicated not only a joyful rediscovery of Hodler’s art but a firm conviction that his work and world view hold particular relevance today. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is not only a collection of printed work reflecting the best of all of his painted work created up to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I, the portfolio itself is an encapsulation of Hodler’s ethos, Parallelisme.
Hodler developed his philosophy of Parallelisme as a unifying approach to art which strips away detail in search of harmony. By means of abstraction, symmetry and repetition, Hodler sought ways to depict Nature’s essence and her fundamental, universal order. He believed these universal laws governing the natural, observable world extend to the spiritual realm. Symbolist in nature with Romantic undertones, his works are equally portraits of these universal concepts and feelings governing all life as they are a visual portrait in the formal sense. Whether his subject is a solitary tree, a moment in battle, mortal fear, despair, the awe inspired by a vast mountain range, a tender moment or even the collective conviction in a belief, Hodler unveils this guiding principle of Parallelisme.
Several aspects of Hodler’s portfolio reinforce his tenets of Parallelisme. The Table of Contents clearly preferences a harmonious design over detail. The two columns, consisting of twenty lines each, list the images by order of appearance using their German titles. The abbreviated titles are somewhat cryptic in that they obscure the identities of the sitters. Like the image Hodler presents, they are distillations of the sitter without any extraneous details. This shortening was also done in an effort to maintain a harmonious symmetry of the Table of Contents, themselves, and keep titles to a one-line limit. The twenty-fourth title: “Bildnis des Schweizerischen Gesandten C.” was so long, even with abbreviation, that it required two lines; so, for the sake of maintaining symmetry, the fortieth title: “Bauernmadchen” was omitted from the list. This explains why the images are not numbered. Hodler’s reasoning is not purely esoteric. Symmetry and pattern reach beyond mere formal design principles. Finding sameness and imposing it over disorder goes to the root of Hodler’s identity and his art. A Swiss native, Hodler was bi-lingual and spoke German and French. Each printed image, even number forty, have titles in both of Hodler’s languages. Certainly, there was a market for Hodler’s work among francophones and this inclusion may have been a polite gesture to that end; however, this is the only place in the portfolio which includes French. With German titles at the lower left of each image, Hodler’s name at bottom center and corresponding French titles at the lower right of each image, there is a harmony and symmetry woven into all aspects of the portfolio. This holds true for the page design, as it applies to each printed image and as it describes the Swiss artist himself. Seen in this light, Hodler’s portfolio of printed work is the epitome of Hodler’s Parallelisme. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is also one of the most significant documents to best tell the story of how Hodler, from Switzerland, became caught between political cross-hairs and how the changing tides of nations directly impacted the artist during his lifetime as well as the accessibility of his art for generations to come.
The Munich-based publisher of the portfolio, R. Piper & Co., Verlag, plays a crucial role in this story. Publishing on a wide range of subjects from philosophy and world religion to music, literature and the visual arts; the publisher’s breadth of inquiry within any one genre was equal in scope. Their marketing strategy to publish multiple works on Hodler offers great insight as to what a hot commodity Hodler was at that time. R.Piper & Co.’s Almanach, which they published in 1914 in commemoration of their first ten years in business, clearly illustrates the rapid succession- strategically calculated for achieving the deepest and broadest impact - in which they released three works on Hodler to hit the market by the close of 1914. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was their premier publication. It preceded C.A. Loosli’s Die Zeichnungen Ferdinand Hodlers, a print portfolio after 50 drawings by Hodler which was released in Autumn of 1914 at the mid-level price-point of 75-150 Marks; and a third less expensive collection of prints after original works by Hodler, which had not been included in either of the first two portfolios, was released at the end of that year entitled Ferdinand Hodler by Dr. Ewald Bender.
The title and timing of DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS' debut leaves little doubt as to the connection it has with another avant-garde portfolio of art prints, Das Werk Gustav Klimts, released in 5 installments from 1908 -1914 by Galerie Miethke in Vienna. Hodler, himself, was involved in Klimt’s ground-breaking project. As the owner of Klimt’s 1901 painting, “Judith with the Head of Holifernes” which appears as the ninth collotype print in the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Hodler was obliged to grant access of the painting to the art printers in Vienna for them to create the collotype sometime before 1908. Hodler had been previously invited in 1904 to take part in what would be the last exhibition of the Vienna Secession before Klimt and others associated with Galerie Miethke broke away. In an interview that same year, Hodler indicated that he respected and was impressed by Klimt. Hodler’s esteem for Klimt went beyond the art itself; he emulated Klimt’s method aimed at increasing his market reach and appeal to a wider audience by creating a print portfolio of his painted work. By 1914, Hodler and his publisher had the benefit of hindsight to learn from Klimt’s Das Werk publication.
Responding to the sluggish sales of Klimt’s expensive endeavor, Hodler’s publisher devised the same diversified 1-2-3 strategy for selling Hodler’s Das Werk portfolio as they did with regards to all three works on Hodler they published that year. For their premium tier of DAS WERKS FERDINAND HODLERS, R. Piper & Co. issued an exclusive Museum quality edition of 15 examples on which Hodler signed each page. At a cost of 600 Marks, this was generally on par with Klimt’s asking price of 600 Kronen for his Das Werk portfolio. A middle-tiered Preferred edition of 30, costing somewhat less and with Hodler’s signature only on the Title Page, was also available. The General edition, targeting the largest audience with its much more affordable price of 150 Marks, is distinguishable by its smaller size.
Rather than use the subscription format Miethke had chosen for Klimt’s portfolios which proved to have had its challenges, R. Piper & Co. employed a different strategy. In addition to instantly gratifying the buyer with all 40 of the prints comprising DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS and the choice among three price points, they advertised in German journals a fourth possibility of ordering single prints from them directly. These printed images are easily discernible from the three complete folio editions. The paper size of the single purchased images is of the larger format like the Museum and Preferred editions, measuring 65 h x 50 w cm; however, the paper itself is the same copper print paper used in the General edition and then mounted on poster board. The publishing house positioned itself to be a direct retailer of Hodler’s art. They astutely recognized the potential for profitability and the importance, therefore, of having proprietary control over his graphic works.
R. Piper & Co. owned the exclusive printing rights to Hodler’s best work found in their three publications dating from 1914. That same year, a competing publication out of Weimar entitled Ferdinand Hodler: Ein Deutungsversuch von Hans Muhlestein appeared. Its author, a young scholar, expressed his frustration with the limited availability of printable work by Hodler. In his Author’s Note on page 19, dated Easter, 1914, Muhlestein confirms that the publisher of Hodler’s three works from that same year owned the exclusive reproductive rights to Hodler’s printed original work. He goes further to explain that even after offering to pay to use certain of those images in his book, the publisher refused. Clearly, a lot of jockeying for position in what was perceived as a hot market was occurring in 1914.
Instead, their timing couldn’t have been more ill-fated, and what began with such high hopes suddenly found a much different market amid a hostile climate. The onset of WWI directly impacted sales. Many, including Ferdinand Hodler, publicly protested the September invasion by Germany of France in which the Reims Cathedral, re-built in the 13th century, was shelled, destroying priceless stained glass and statuary and burning off the iron roof and badly damaging its wooden interior. Thomas Gaehtgens, Director of the Getty Research Institute describes how the bombing of Reims Cathedral triggered blindingly powerful and deeply-felt ultra-nationalistic responses: “The event profoundly shocked French intellectuals, who for the most part had an intense admiration for German literature, music and art. By relying on press accounts and abstracting from the visual propagandistic content, they were unable to interpret the siege of Reims without turning away from German culture in disgust. Similarly, the German intelligentsia and bourgeoisie were also shocked to find themselves described as vandals and barbarians. Ninety-three writers, scientists, university professors, and artists signed a protest, directed against the French insults, that defended the actions of the German army.”
In similar fashion, a flurry of open letters published in German newspapers and journals as well as telegrams and postcards sent directly to Hodler following his outcry in support of Reims reflected the collectively critical reaction to Hodler’s position. Loosli documents that among the list of telegrams Hodler received was one from none other than his publisher in Germany, R.Piper & Co. Allegiances were questioned. The market for Hodler in Germany immediately softened. Matters worsened for the publisher beyond the German backlash to Hodler and his loss of appeal in the home market; with the war in full swing until 1918, there was little chance a German publisher would have much interest coming from outside of Germany and Austria. Following the war and Hodler’s death in 1918, the economy in Germany continued to spiral out and just 5 years later, hyper-inflation had rendered its currency worthless vis-a-vis its value in the pre-war years. Like the economy, Hodler’s reputation was slow to find currency in these difficult times. Even many French art fans had turned sour on Hodler as they considered his long-standing relationship in German and Austrian art circles. Thus, the portfolio’s rarity in Hodler’s lifetime and, consequently, the availability of these printed images from DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS since his death has been scarce.
In many ways, Hodler and his portfolios were casualties of war. Thwarted from their intended purpose of reaching a wide audience and show-casing Parallelisme, Hodler’s unique approach to art, this important, undated work has been both elusive and shrouded in mystery. Perhaps DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was left undated as a means of affirming the timelessness of Hodler’s art. Digging back into the past, Hodler’s contemporaries, like R. Piper, C.A. Loosli and Hans Muhlestein, indeed provide the keys to unequivocally clarify what has largely been mired in obscurity. Just after Hodler’s death, the May, 1918 issue of the Burlington Review ran a small column which opined hope for better access to R.Piper & Co.’s DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS; 100 years later, it is finally possible. Hodler’s voice rings out through these printed works. Once more, his modern approach to depicting portraits, landscapes and grand scale scenes of Swiss history speak to us of what is universal. Engaging with any one of these images is the chance to connect to Hodler’s vision and his world view- weltanschauung in German, vision du monde in French- however one expresses these concepts through language, its message embedded in his work is the same: “We differ from one another, but we are like each other even more. What unifies us is greater and more powerful than what divides us.” Today, Hodler’s art couldn’t be more timely.
FERDINAND HODLER (SWISS, 1853-1918) explored Parallelisme through figurative poses evocative of music, dance and ritual. His images of sex, night, desertion and death as well as his many landscapes exploring the universal longing for harmony with Nature are unique and important works embodying a Symbolist paradigm. Truly a Modern Master, Hodler’s influence can be felt in the work of Gustav Klimt and Kolomon Moser and subsequent Expressionist artists such as Egon Schiele. He was born into an impoverished family in Bern, Switzerland in 1853. His entire family succumbed to tuberculosis, and he was orphaned by the age of 13, the only surviving child among his 13 siblings. In the absence of family, the influence and guidance which his art instructors provided Hodler was foundational and profound. Hodler began formal studies in 1872 at the Geneva School of Design. Under Barthelemy Menn, Hodler was drawn to the ordered beauty of Euclidian geometry and Durer’s fundamentals of human proportion that proved to be guiding principles informing his art throughout his life.
By the 1880s, Hodler began to enjoy some recognition for his work which put him on a new path towards stability. Remaining in Geneva, he became assistant to the well-known muralist, Edouard Castres. Following his first solo show in 1885, Hodler’s work took on a Symbolist quality. He frequently associated with a group of Swiss Symbolist...
Category
Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
"Three Women Asleep" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesans Folio
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Chicago, IL
Plate #13 from Gustav Klimt's 1907 "Dialogues of the Courtesans" portfolio, consisting of 15 collotypes on cream japon paper. The drawings in this folio are said to be studies for Klimt's well-known Water Serpents paintings...
Category
Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper
September 13, 1918. St. Mihiel [The Great Black Cloud].
By Kerr Eby
Located in Storrs, CT
September 13, 1918. St. Mihiel [The Great Black Cloud]. 1934. Etching, aquatint and sandpaper ground. Giardina catalog 182 state iv. 10 3/8 x 16 (sheet 13 1/8 x 18 1/4). Edition 100. Illustrated: Prints vol. VI, no. 2, 1935, page 85; Print Collector's Quarterly 26 (1939): 82; Fine Prints of the Year, 1935; Eby. War. Provenance: Frederick Keppel & Co. A rich, beautifully wiped impression on cream-colored wove paper. Signed and annotated 'imp' and 'Edition 100' in pencil, indicating a proof printed by the artist. This is Eby's most famous etching...
Category
American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint
$9,000 Sale Price
48% Off
Prag / Prague
Located in Middletown, NY
An atmospheric view of the Charles Bridge and Old Town Bridge Tower.
Dresden: Max Sinz, 1928.
Etching and aquatint in colors on cream wove paper, 11 1/2 x 9 inches (292 x 227 mm) f...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Aquatint, Etching
Art Deco Antique Poster "Eugene - Ondulation Permanente"
Located in Hinsdale, IL
FOSSEY (DATES UNKNOWN)
EUGENE / ONDULATION PERMANENTE. 1926.
Shee Size: 35 1/4x22 1/2 inches, 89 1/2 x 57 cm. C. Courtois, Paris.
This is a gorgeous example of art deco artwork...
Category
Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
L'Eventail (Anaïs) also called The Fan.
Located in Storrs, CT
L'Eventail (Anaïs) also called The Fan. 1921. Etching. Fletcher 22. Final state. 6 3/8 x 4 7/16 (sheet 11 1/2 x 9 1/4). Edition 76. An extremely rich, tonal impression printed on cr...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
$1,750 Sale Price
30% Off
Le Beguin (Anaïs)
Located in Storrs, CT
Le Beguin (Anaïs). 1922. Etching. Fletcher catalog 33 state iii./iv (before cancellation). 5 1/2 x 4 5/16 (sheet 11 1/2 x 8 13/16). Edition 76. Illustrated: Print Collector's Quarter...
Category
Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
TOD UND FRAU (DEATH AND WOMAN)
Located in Portland, ME
Kollwitz, Kathe. TOD UND FRAU (DEATH AND WOMAN). Knesebeck 107, State VII; Klipstein 103. Line etching, drypoint, sandpaper, soft ground with imprint of granulated tone paper and Zie...
Category
Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Drypoint, Etching
The Biggest of All; Telephone and Telegraph Building.
Located in Storrs, CT
The Biggest of All; Telephone and Telegraph Building. 1925. Etching. Wuerth 853. 9 7/8 x 11 7/8 (sheet 11 1/2 x 17 1/8). Edition probably 35. An atmospheric impression with plate tone, printed on antique laid paper...
Category
American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Drypoint, Etching
$850 Sale Price
43% Off
Bon Electeur, 1928 Aquatint on Arches by Georges Rouault
Located in Long Island City, NY
Bon Electeur from Le Reincarnations du Pere Ubu
Georges Rouault, French (1871–1958)
Date: 1928
Aquatint on Arches, signed in the plate
Image Size: 10 x 7 inches
Size: 17 x 13 in. (43...
Category
Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Materials
Aquatint