Still Life with a Purple Bowl, Alexej von Jawlensky
Alexej von Jawlensky
Still Life with a Purple Bowl
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Alexej von Jawlensky

Still Life with a Purple Bowl, 1912


Dimensions
49.8 x 53.5 cm
Physical Description
Oil on cardboard
Inventory Number
2126
Acquisition
Acquired in 1973 as a gift from Hanna Bekker vom Rath
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 15

Texts

About the Work

Only at a second glance can the still life can be recognised as such from the composition of simplified objects with black contours. The artist drew the outlines in charcoal and then filled the spaces with bright complementary colours (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/purple). Jawlensky later wrote that he was able to express that which “vibrated” inside him through colours and forms. The influence of the French artist Henri Matisse is reflected in this abstract style and its relinquishing of a spatial perspective.

About the Acquisition

The painter, collector and art dealer Hanna Bekker vom Rath (1893–1983) did more than maintain personal contact with the artist Alexei von Jawlensky - from 1927 onwards she promoted his fame with tremendous energy through a circle of supporters, the 'Gesellschaft der Freunde der Kunst von A. v. Jawlensky' (Society of Friends of the Art of A. v. Jawlensky) in Wiesbaden. Jawlensky's Frankfurt-born patron also supported numerous artists of her generation and thus contributed in no small way to the revival of Modernism after the end of the Second World War.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Still Life with a Purple Bowl
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on cardboard
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert oben links: A. Jawlensky

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1973 as a gift from Hanna Bekker vom Rath

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 41C38 laid table as still life
  • 41A773 container of ceramics: jar, jug, pot, vase
  • 41C653 fruit
Associative

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
Erworben von Hanna Bekker vom Rath (1893-1983), Hofheim als Jahresgabe der Vereinigung der Freunde der Kunst von Alexej von Jawlensky, Wiesbaden
Schenkung an das Städelsche Kunstinstitut, lt. Inventarbuch "zum 7. September 1968" [75. Geburtstag der Schenkerin] angekündigt und endgültig vollzogen 1973.

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

11.09.2023