Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug)
Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug), 1923
Alfred Wickenburg
Oil on canvas
30 1/4 x 25 inches
Framed; 37 3/8 x 31 7/8 inches
Alfred Wickenburg, Der Blaue Krug (The Blue Jug), 1923
$ 55,000.00
Inquire/Make an Offer
Previous
|
Next
547 
of 1068

artist

Alfred Wickenburg, born in Gleichenberg in 1885, studied at universities in Munich, Paris, and Stuttgart. Alongside Wilhelm Thöny, and was among the earliest adopters of cubism, futurism, and pittura metafisica. Serving as vice president of the Styrian Secession for several years, he faced professional setbacks, losing his teaching position due to his avant-garde art and controversial depiction of the Madonna in 1933.

However, by 1934, he rebounded, appointed as a professor at the Landeskunstschule and elected president of the Secession. His international recognition grew with participation in the Biennale in Venice in 1936 and exhibitions at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris. During the Nazi era, his art was condemned as degenerate, prompting him to publicly exhibit more conforming works while continuing to develop his modernist style in private.

After World War II, Wickenburg represented Austria as a delegate to UNESCO and the Austrian art senate. He passed away in Graz in 1978, leaving behind a legacy that bridged avant-garde innovation with the tumultuous political landscape of his time.

Description

Alfred Wickenburg's approach to painting was marked by refined technique and a palette that often embraced muted tones and subtle contrasts. In Der Blaue Krug, the title itself underscores his acute attention to color, here focusing on primary hues red, blue, and yellow. Despite being a still-life, typically confined to interior settings, Wickenburg incorporates architectural forms into the composition. These fragments of buildings showcase his keen sense of spatial relationships and structural elements and blur the boundaries between interior and exterior, challenging viewers perception of spatial dynamics within the artwork. This interplay of form and space not only enriches the visual complexity of Der Blaue Krug but also exemplifies Wickenburg's innovative approach to merging diverse elements within his interpretation of Cubism.

provenance

Erika Kastner Foundation (acquired by 1955, likely from the artist)

Acquired as a gift from the above in 1955 by The Museum of Modern Art, NY
The Museum of Modern Art, NY, until 2024
Sotheby's NY, sold to benefit MoMA acquisitions program, March 2024

exhibitions

Graz, Landesmuseum Joanneum, Ausstellung der Sezession Graz, 1924

Linz, Oberösterreichische Landesmuseum, Prof. Alfred Wickenburg, Prof. Rudolf Szykowitz, Prof. Fritz Silberbauer, Graz. Ölgemälde, Sonderausstellung, 1954, no. 2, illustrated

Graz, Künstlerhaus, Alfred Wickenburg, 1955

literature

Ertler, Ausstellung, 1924

Ausst. Kat. Linz, Sonderausstellung, 1954, cat. 2

Aldrian, Wickenburg, 1955, S. 52

Ausst, Kat. Graz, Wickenburg, 1955, cat. 41

Szyszkowitz, Wickenburg, 1961, s 13

Skreiner, Wickenburg, 1972, s 81

Rychlik, Wickenburg, 1996, s 227, cat. O51

Christian Huemer, Agnes Husslein-Arco, Stella Rollig, eds., Alfred Wickenburg: Monograph and Catalogue Raisonné, Vienna 2018, no. 50, illustrated.