Christ in the Underworld, 1911

Dimensions: 86.0 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.

Audio

Basic information

00:40
Focus on religion

01:50

Work Data

Basic Information

Title: Christ in the Underworld

Painter

Emil Nolde

Period Produced

20th century

School

expressionism

Object Type

painting (artwork)

Material

canvas

Technique

Label at the Time of Manufacture: Signiert oben links: Emil Nolde

Work Catalogues

Urban 1987, Bd. 1, Nr. 424

Property and Acquisition

Institution

Städel Museum

Departement

Modern Art 1800–1945

Collection

Städelsches Kunstinstitut

Creditline: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Picture Copyright: © Nolde Stiftung Seebüll

Acquisition: Acquired in 1972 as a gift from Ilse Delfs; formerly Carl Hagemann Collection

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre

Main Motif

Persons Shown

Jesus Christ

Associated Persons and Institutions

Devil

Illustrated Passage

Bibel, Neues Testament, 1. Petrusbrief 3,19
Bibel, Neues Testament, Epheserbrief 4,9

Iconclass

Primary

73D931 Christ preaching in hell
22C4(RED) colours, pigments, and paints: red
22C4(GREEN) colours, pigments, and paints: green
22C4(YELLOW) colours, pigments, and paints: yellow

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History: Galerie Ludwig Schames (Manfred Schames), Frankfurt

verkauft an Carl Hagemann (1867-1940), Frankfurt, 1920

Nachlass Carl Hagemann, 1940

Depositum im Städel Museum, Frankfurt, 1941

Schenkung Ilse Delfs an das Städelsche Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, 1972.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known: