Symbolist Art

Architectural Details Catalogue 2, paper/etching, 86/99, 10x9 cm, 1989

John Gilbey Bowles (British, 1929–2011) Jesus and the Disciples in the Wilderness Signed ‘J BOWLES’ (lower right) Oil on board 22 ¾ x 27 ⅝ in. (57.8 x 70 cm) Jesus and the Disciples ...

Le Masque De La Mort Rouge is a phototype reproduction realized after Odilon Redon. They belong to the suite "Odilon Redon Peintre, Dessinateur et Graveur", published by Henri Felu...

Exhibit II, paper/etching, 68/99, 5.5x5 cm, 1989

Les Pavots Noirs is a prototype reproduction realized after Odilon Redon. They belong to the suite "Odilon Redon Peintre, Dessinateur et Graveur", published by Henri Felury in 1923....

MARC CHAGALL (1887–1985) André Malraux, Et Sur la Terre... A complete artist's book from 1977, printed on BFK Rives wove paper. It includes 15 etchings with aquatint, along with the...

Akinesia paper/etching, 14x18 cm, 1989

Surreal abstract figurative of a dreamy, meditative scene including multiple figures and flowers, blended with sill-life and landscape elements by Noel Howard (American, 20th Century...

Alexandre Séon (Chazelles-sur-Lyon, 1855–Paris, 1917) Sleep Circa 1893 Pastel on canvas 32 × 40.5 cm 44 x 52 cm framed Signed “Alex. Séon” upper left Exhibitions: Probably Salon...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Then all the people pluckt from themselves the golden eare-rings, and they brought them unto Aaron who received them... Lithograph from 1966. The edition...

Walpurgis Nacht is a drawing with pen and Indian ink on paper, realized by Alfred Kubin in 1920, Hand-signed. Provenance Zevi Collection Milan. Included a frame. In very good co...

World Trade Center memorial artwork by Marc Foster Grant (American, b. 1947). This piece is composed of multiple layers of quotes relating to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Cent...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Place de la Concorde Lithograph from 1952. Dimensions of work: 35 x 26 cm Publisher: Tériade, Paris. On the verso another Lithographs in black. The wo...

Second Edition of 6 copies plus 3 Artist’s Proofs, realized in 1990 after the famous homonymous sculpture realized by Wildt in 1918/19. Authorized by Wildt's heirs, from the original...

Louise Marie Jossier-Grémillon L'amphore blessée (the wounded amphora), 1934, signed, titled and dated lower left watercolor on paper 62 x 44 cm In good condition In its original f...

Drypoint and aquatint (brown ink) on cream paper. Signed "Rehn" in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. Fr...

ROBERTSON 20th Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm (69 x 82 cm with frame) Signed and dated lower left "RBTSN / 1909" Very good condition Beautiful black frame with black edging This symbolist...

Drypoint and aquatint (brown ink) on cream paper. Signed "Rehn" in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. Fr...

Exhibit I, paper/etching, 72/99, 5.4x5 cm, 1989

Menashe Kadishman, Sheep head, Symbolist painting, colored painting, Israeli art, Israeli art

Etching and aquatint on cream paper. Signed in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. Plate in excellent co...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Abdullah Discovered before Him..., from the Arabian Nights Lithograph from 1948. Inscribed Pl. 9 and numbered 82/90. Dimensions of work: 42.5 x 32.5 cm...

Framed 21.2 X 25.5 Unframed 17 X 21 Signed and dated 1920. Nina Karasek (Joële) born 1883 Kuttenberg, Czech Lands, Austro-Hungarian Empire, died in 1952 (I have also seen the date recorded as 1933) Vienna, Austria. Nina Karasek was an Austrian Impressionist & Modern artist who was born in 1883. Her work was featured in exhibitions at the Es Baluard, Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art and the Bildraum Bodensee. Little is known of Nina Karasek's life. She was born in 1883 in Kuttenberg (Kutná Hora) in Bohemia, studied art at the Kunstschule für Frauen und Mädchen (Art School for Women and Girls) in Vienna, Austria, under Adalbert Seligmann and Tina Blau. She studied at the Frauenakademie in Vienna and Munich. In the 1920's she worked first as a landscape painter and an illustrator, later turning toward symbolism, painting mystical subjects after her interest in spiritualism. Her conventional works were shown at various exhibitions. At the age of 44, while she was copying a work by Rembrandt in an Italian museum, she fell into an altered state of consciousness. Rembrandt appeared to her, took possession of her arm, and immediately her hand started to draw something quite different from what she had intended. From then on, for the rest of her life Nina Karasek was in “supernatural” contact with a series of great masters like Rembrandt, Albrecht Dürer, Goya, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Gustav Klimt and others. Under their guidance and inspiration, she drew and painted works "in the style" of the masters. But very soon her works became stylistically more and more unrestricted and Symbolist, showing an enormous range of creative expression, ranging from symbolic and allegorical motifs to bewildering images with a fantastic arsenal of figures and private characters, signs, and symbols, and to frantic, gestural sketches and abstract compositions. From then on, she often signed her works with her esoteric “primordial name” Joële. (Nina Karasik-Joel) Almost everything we know about her life was from what she noted on the reverse of her drawings: sometimes diary-like notes of her horrible living conditions during World War II, but often strangely impenetrable explanations of the depicted motifs – often as fascinating and mysterious as the drawings themselves. In her works and notes, an exciting private cosmology and mythology unfolds, a drama of hidden powers and principles that flow through macrocosm as well as microcosm. Shortly after their discovery, Nina Karasek's Spiritualist, mediumistic works have found their way into galleries and major international collections. SELECT EXHIBITIONS 2019 The Medium’s Medium: Spiritualist Art Practices From the Turn of the Century and Beyond. The Gallery of Everything, London, (she showed with Madge Gill, Augustin Lesage, Fleury-Joseph Crépin...

Architectural Details Catalogue 4, paper/etching, 81/99,10x9 cm

Monument X, paper/etching,86/99, 13.5x10 cm, 1989

Architectural Details Catalog 7, paper/etching, 59/75,10x9 cm,1990

Signed and dated oil on canvas portrait by French symbolist painter Lucien Victor Guirand De Scevola. The work depicts a brunette woman in an embellished off the shoulder white dress hand holding a sleepy ginger cat in one arm. Signature: Signed and dated 1905 lower right Dimensions: Framed: 35"x31" Unframed: 26"x22" Provenance: The collection of Barbara Taylor Bradford O.B.E. Lucien Victor Guirand de Scevola Biography View full artist profile Guirand de Scévola was a student of Cormon at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. He then became a committee member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he also exhibited. He became an officer of the Légion d'Honneur in 1914. Making rigorous accuracy his main concern, he had a brilliant career as a society portrait artist. As such, his works became widely known. He painted portraits of a variety of subjects, including the Duke of Massa, Henri Farman, the Duchess of Uzès and the Duchess of Brissac. Museum and Gallery Holdings: Mulhouse: Woman with a Veil...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

Albert Pike Lucas (Jersey City, 1862 – New York, 1945) Woman in Profile, 1893 Oil on canvas 41 x 33 cm 70 x 60.5 cm with its frame Signed 'AP Lucas' upper left, located and dated 'Pa...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Soleil aux amoureux Etching from 1968. Trial proof. Dimensions of sheet: 51 x 34 cm Dimensions in frame: 63.2 x 53.2 cm Publisher: Maeght Éditeur, Par...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

André Eugène Costilhes (1865-1940) A Pensive young woman pencil on paper 29.5 x 22.5 cm (view) In good condition, except some traces of stains Framed : 55.5 x 41.5 cm (vintage frame...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

Cross - as the unity of the world. 2009, oil on canvas, 83x67 cm

Georges Antoine Rochegrosse (1859-1938) Study for "Le Cocher" carbon pencil on thin paper 14.5 x 13 cm In good condition Framed : 36.7 x 31 cm Provenance: Estate of the artist and...

Menashe Kadishman, Sheep head, Symbolist painting, colored painting, Israeli art, Israeli art

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

Albert Nikolaievitch Benois (Saint Petersburg, 1852 – Fontenay-aux-Roses, 1936) Fantastic View from the Windows of My Studio 1907 Watercolour on cardboard 34.7 × 23 cm 48 x 37,5 c...

Masri Hayssam (Lebanese, born 1965) "Shattered Atlas: The Modern Burden" 2004 Oil Paint, Acrylic Paint, Mixed Media, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom right and the...

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...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Hagar in the Desert Original Lithograph from 1960. Dimensions of work: 35 x 26 cm. Publisher: Tériade, Paris. Reference: Mourlot 241. On the reverse: a...

Abel Pann (1883–1963) was a European Jewish painter who settled in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in the early twentieth century and taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art under...

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...

The Serpent - Aboriginal Dot Painting in Acrylic on Canvas Bold dot painting with a snake by Aboriginal Australian artist Geoffrey "Pirup" Woods (Abor...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Amour Lithograph from 1972. The edition of 20/30 on Arches paper. Dimensions of work: 57.5 x 42 cm. Hand signed. Reference: Mourlot 645. The work is ...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Lion Judah Lithograph from 1962. Printed by Mourlot.. Dimensions of work: 32 x 24 cm. Publisher: André Sauret, Monte Carlo. Reference: Mourlot 365. T...

Jean-Francis Auburtin (1866–1930) Porquerolles, circa 1900 Pastel 55 × 66 cm 68 × 84 cm including its frame Monogrammed lower right This work bears witness to his long stay on Porqu...

Georges Antoine Rochegrosse (1859-1938) A man sitted, Study for the decoration of the Salle des fêtes (Ballroom) of the Exposition Internationale, Paris 1900 Pencil and charcoal on thin yellow paper 29.5 x 20 cm In acceptable condition : Tears and creases as visible on the photographs. In a modern frame : 46 x 36.5 cm Annotations on the back of the mount (now under the modern frame) that identifiy this drawing as a preparatory study for the decoration of the Salle des fêtes (Ballroom) of the 1900 Paris Exposition Internationale. It's also indicated that Henri Bataille...

Ex Libris - Paul Valery is an Etching print realized by Michel Fingesten. Hand Signed in the lower right margin. Good conditions. Michel Fingesten (1884 - 1943) was a Czech painte...

The painting is entitled Arion of Metimna, a poet and cantor of 6th-century B.C. Greece. C., a figure straddling the historical and the mythical. In particular, depicted here is the ...

Ex Libris - Ex Bibliotheca Macabrum is an Etching print created by Michel Fingesten in 1939. Good conditions. Michel Fingesten (1884 - 1943) was a Czech painter and engraver of Je...

Masterfully painted portrait with rich paint surface by the famous French Symbolist Signed and dated lower left Provenance: Waterhouse & Dodd, London ...

Sign II paper/etching, 53/99, 6x4 cm,1988

The rare, complete portfolio of twelve etchings and aquatints on laid paper, in its original editorial soft cover. Published by Theo Stroefer's Kunstverlag, Nurenberg, in 1881. Max...

Rochgrosse, Antoine Georges Marie. Poems Chantes/Gustave Carpentier /Paris/Henri Tellier, Editeur. 1896. 7 Color lithograph. Das fruhe Plakat 750 (Music Sheet). French painter, pri...

Monument XI, paper/etching, 13.5x10 cm