Dangerous Desire, Richard Oelze
Richard Oelze
Dangerous Desire
DE
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Richard Oelze

Dangerous Desire, 1936


Dimensions
14.0 x 17.0 cm
Physical Description
Oil on paper, glued to wood
Inventory Number
SG 1251
Acquisition
Acquired in 1979
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

A surreal landscape expands against a deep black background. Carefully painted root-like structures take on a life of their own, grow eyes, become faces. Two hands emerge from the nothingness to hold a phallic form. 'Dangerous Wish' indulges in allusions to a sexual desire that are engraved into a bizarre landscape of the subconscious. The precise painting style of this small-format picture makes the vague shapes seem real. Oelze created this work in 1936 in Paris, where he was in close contact with protagonists of the Surrealist movement, including Max Ernst and Tristan Tzara.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Dangerous Desire
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on paper, glued to wood
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert verso unten links: OELZE

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
© Richard Oelze
Acquisition
Acquired in 1979

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 29 surrealia, surrealistic representations
Associative
  • 2 Nature
  • 31AA444 anthropomorphic beings with parts of abnormal shape - AA - female human figure
  • 31A444 anthropomorphic beings with parts of abnormal shape
  • 31A2245 hand

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
...
Joe Bousquet (1897-1950), Villalier, seit 1936
...
Galerie Petit, Paris
...
Galerie Brockstedt, Hamburg, ca. 1966
...
Privatsammlung Hamburg
Verkauf an die Stadt Frankfurt am Main, 1979.

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:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

The successive ownership records are separated from each other by a semicolon.

Gaps in the record of a provenance are indicated by the placeholder “…”. Unsupported information is listed in square brackets.

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Last update

25.03.2024