Christ in the Underworld, Emil Nolde
Emil Nolde
Christ in the Underworld
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Emil Nolde

Christ in the Underworld, 1911


Dimensions
86 x 100.5 cm
Inventory Number
2120
Acquisition
Acquired in 1972 as a gift from Ilse Delfs; formerly Carl Hagemann Collection
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 12

Texts

About the Work

The picture is dominated by yellow and green. Nolde shows Christ surrounded by a Protestant priest, a monk, threatening devilish figures and a few elect. In the year of its creation, the artist was expelled from the Berlin Secession and suffered through other crises. Just as Christ had resisted hostility, Nolde also wanted to stand up to his opponents. The painting belongs to what he called his “biblical and legend paintings”. In the depictions created from 1909 onwards, he transferred traditional themes from the Old and New Testaments into decidedly subjective compositions, simplified forms and a garish colourfulness. This way, Nolde made the transition from his Impressionist-influenced early work to the colourful and expressive style of painting for which he is appreciated today.

About the Acquisition

From 1900 onwards, the Frankfurt chemist and industrialist Carl Hagemann (1867‒1940) assembled one of the most important private collections of modern art. It included numerous paintings, drawings, watercolours and prints, especially by members of the artist group “Die Brücke”. After Carl Hagemann died in an accident during the Second World War, the then Städel director Ernst Holzinger arranged for Hagemann’s heirs to evacuate his collection with the museum’s collection. In gratitude, the family donated almost all of the works on paper to the Städel Museum in 1948. Further donations and permanent loans as well as purchases of paintings and watercolours from the Hagemann estate helped to compensate for the losses the museum had suffered in 1937 as part of the Nazi’s “Degenerate Art” campaign. Today, the Hagemann Collection forms the core of the Städel museum’s Expressionist collection.

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Last update

18.07.2024