Flowers, Kees van Dongen
Kees van Dongen
Flowers
DE
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Kees van Dongen

Flowers, ca. 1910


Dimensions
64.9 x 64.9 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
SG 407
Acquisition
Acquired in 1926
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

The still life is watching you! An eye fixes its gaze on the viewer from the bouquet’s centre. It is hardly noticeable – so intensely do the deep red blossoms glow against the dark background. The Dutchman van Dongen lived in Paris and captivated his contemporaries with his self-confidence. His parties were as unconventional as his art. The painters of the art group “Brücke” were also enthusiastic about the dandy and his contacts in the Paris art scene. He was one of the few foreign members to be accepted into the Dresden group.

About the Acquisition

Pauline Kowarzik (née Fellner; 1852–1930) grew up in Frankfurt and received private painting and drawing lessons at a young age. In 1896, she married the Viennese sculptor and medallist Josef Kowarzik (1860–1911), who taught sculpture at the Städelschule. Together, they were very active participants of Frankfurt’s art life and closely associated with the Städel Art Institute. Due to her notable knowledge of modern art, Pauline Kowarzik was the first woman to be appointed as a member with advisory capacity in the acquisition committee of the Städtische Galerie in 1916. Kowarzik herself owned a significant collection with modern art works. When the inflation in 1926 got her into financial trouble, Pauline Kowarzik sold her private collection to the Städel for a monthly life annuity. In 1937, 18 of the 34 works were removed from the museum as part of the “Degenerate Art” confiscation operation. Nowadays, they are either lost or in other museums all over Europe. Heckel’s "Landscape in Holstein" was the only one of these works that the Städel was able to buy back.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Flowers
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert unten links: van Dongen

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024
Acquisition
Acquired in 1926

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 41A671 still life of plants, flowers and fruit
  • 41A6711 flowers in a vase
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
... Pauline Kowarzik (1852-1929), Frankfurt am Main
Verkauf an die Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt am Main, 1926.

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

13.03.2024