Kirchner's Dresden studio: source of a new spirit and revolutionary artistic vision
In the early years following the formation of the “Brücke” artist group, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's Dresden studio served the young painters as both a living and working space and a magnet for female amateur models. Everyone mingled freely in a creative atmosphere in rooms decorated with curtains and screens. Just as Kirchner's private life in those days increasingly diverged from the prevailing conservative morals, his artistic output also increasingly ran counter to traditional art concepts. In numerous works created on the spur of the moment, he captured bodies in motion and devoted himself to depicting the action unfolding in his studio. Traditional academic doctrine increasingly took a back seat. His detailed watercolor “Vier weibliche Akte im Atelier” (Four Female Nudes in the Studio), from around 1910, also shows the new artistic understanding of the “Brücke” artists in the clear, edgy style and intense complementary colors.

The eye-catching wall paintings, a painted screen in the room, and the curtain showing a dancing couple in the background on the right are clear indications of the self-designed interior of Kirchner's studio in Dresden. A half-open curtain reveals a second, smaller room with another nude model. In an alternation of opaque areas and a more glazing application, the artist offers us a glimpse into the everyday events in his studio in vibrant colors. Concerning style and motif, the work on paper is closely related to the painting “Badende im Raum” (Bathers in the Room), which may well be Kirchner's most crucial studio painting from the Dresden “Brücke” period. Although framed by strong black lines, the naked bodies of the women here blend in almost seamlessly with their spatial surroundings, becoming part of a larger whole. It is clear to what extent the Bohemian lifestyle of the artist community is reflected in his painting style. During this short period, Kirchner's studio in Dresden was the source of a new spirit and the epicenter of the revolutionary artistic vision of the “Brücke” artists, who broke with artistic convention and paved the way for a new style. [CH/AR]


In private family ownership for 67 years: the Blohm Collection
Kirchners eindringliches Werk stammt aus einer der renommiertesten Sammlungen der Nachkriegsjahre. Denn es gehörte Ernesto (Ernst Friedrich) Blohm (1903-1970), den die Leitung des Familienunternehmens, einer bedeutenden Handelsgesellschaft, nach Venezuela verschlagen hat. Zu dieser Zeit ist Ernesto Blohm neben dem Grafen von der Goltz aus Düsseldorf der wohl kapitalste Sammler des Künstlers. Und damit steht er in bester Familientradition: Ernesto Blohm entstammt einer weithin bekannten Hamburger Sammler- und Unternehmerfamilie. Er ist der Sohn von Otto und Magdalene Blohm, deren umfangreiche Kollektion nicht nur moderner Kunst, sondern insbesondere wertvollster Fayencen und Porzellane Legende ist. Magdalene, die Mutter, hat auch Ernst Ludwig Kirchner bereits 1929 besucht. Erst ihr Sohn Ernesto aber konzentriert seine Sammelleidenschaft ganz auf den "Brücke"-Künstler und wählt mit ererbt sicherem Blick aus dem Besten das Besondere aus. Bis heute befindet sich das hier angebotene Blatt im Eigentum seiner Familie. [AT]