Old Fisherman and his Daughter, Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Old Fisherman and his Daughter
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Edvard Munch

Old Fisherman and his Daughter, 1902


Dimensions
48.5 x 66.5 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
2096
Acquisition
Acquired in 1964 as a gift from Marga and Kurt Möllgaard, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

They are close together and yet solitary. Munch has portrayed the old fisherman and his daughter as disturbingly isolated. Nor do the figures establish eye contact with the viewer despite their placement at the front of the picture. Lost in thought and with a melancholy expression, they gaze into nothingness. The earnest face of the girl, framed by her light hair, looks if she has almost as much experience of life as her father with his weather-beaten features. The psychological penetration of the two figures gains a particular intensity from sectional character of the picture and its monochrome background.

About the Acquisition

The Frankfurt businessman Dr. Kurt Möllgaard and his wife, Marga, began collecting modern art in 1945. From 1964 on they donated parts of their collection to the Städelscher Museums-Verein. Kurt Möllgaard commented on his activities: "In doing this, we have intentionally continued a tradition which is also cultivated to a considerable extent by those citizens of Frankfurt who had to leave their homes after 1933." In 1987 Kurt Möllgaard founded the Kurt und Marga Möllgaard-Stiftung, which remains active to this day.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Old Fisherman and his Daughter
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert oben links: EMunch (EM ligiert)
Work Catalogues
  • Woll 2008, Nr. 525

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Administration
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Eigentum des Städelschen Museums-Vereins e.V.
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1964 as a gift from Marga and Kurt Möllgaard, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif

Iconclass

Primary
  • 61BB112(+52) anonymous historical persons portrayed in a double portrait - BB - woman (+ (full) bust portrait)
  • 31D13 adolescent, young woman, maiden
  • 31D13(+1) adolescent, young woman, maiden (+ front view)
  • 61B112(+52) anonymous historical persons portrayed in a double portrait (+ (full) bust portrait)
  • 31D14 adult man
  • 31D14(+1) adult man (+ front view)
  • 43C128 fisherman
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
...
Max Emden (1874-1940), Hamburg, 1907
Verst. durch H. Ball und P. Graupe, Berlin, 9. Juni 1931 (Los-Nr. 53)
...
deutsche Privatsammlung, seit mind. 1954
...
Meta Gadesmann (1881-1962), Frankfurt/Rottach-Egern
Nachlass Meta Gadesmann, 1962
erworben durch den Städelschen Museums-Verein e.V., Frankfurt am Main 1964.

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.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the museum at .

Conservation and Restoration

Art-technology findings and/or documentation regarding conservation and restoration are available for this work. If interested, please contact .

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Last update

15.05.2023