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Sotheby's
Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale
London | 19 Jun 2012, 07:00 PM | L12006
LOT 37
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION
EDVARD MUNCH
1863 - 1944
SITTENDE UNG KVINNE
(SEATED YOUNG WOMAN)
signed E. Munch and dated 1916 (lower right)
oil on canvas
136 by 110cm.
53 1/2 by 43 1/4 in.
Painted in 1916.
ESTIMATE
2,500,000-3,500,000 GBP
PROVENANCE
Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt (acquired in 1927; deaccessioned as 'degenerate art' in 1937, inventory no. 15771)
Harold Holst Halvorsen, Oslo (acquired from the German State in 1939. Sold: Harald Holst Halvorsen i Wangs
Kunsthandels lokale, Oslo, Edv. Munch malerier og grafiske arbeider fra tyske museer, 16th-23rd January 1939, lot
33)
Thomas Olsen, Oslo (purchased at the above sale)
Acquired from the estate of the above by the present owner
EXHIBITED
Copenhagen, Georg Kleis, Edvard Munch, 1917, no. 25 (titled Ung sortklaedt Kvinde)
Kristiania, Blomqvist Kunsthandel, Edvard Munch, 1918, no. 32 (titled Ung pike)
Gothenburg, Konstföreningen Valand, 1918 (titled Ung sittanda flicka)
Frankfurt, Städelschen Kunstinstitut, Vom Abbild zum Sinnbild, 1931, no. 174 (titled Sitzende Dame)
Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, Edvard Munch. Utsetilling malerier, akvareller, tegninger, grafikk, 1951, no. 84
Zurich, Kunsthaus, Edvard Munch, 1952, no. 60
São Paulo, Museu de Arte Moderna, Il Bienal, 1953-54, no. 13
Frankfurt, Steinernes Haus, Römerberg, Edvard Munch, 1962-63, no. 49
Schaffhausen, Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausen, Edvard Munch, 1968, no. 77
Kiel, Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Edvard Munch. Gemälde und Zeichnungen aus einer norwegischen Privatsammlung, 1979,
no. 19, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Stuttgart, Städtische Galerie, ReVision - Die Moderne im Städel 1906-1937, 1991-92, no. 9, illustrated in colour in the
catalogue
LITERATURE
Ulrich Bischoff, 'Die Rolle Edvard Munchs beim Einzug der Moderne in die deutschen Museen - Anmerkungen zu acht
Bildern aus einer norwegischen Privatsammlung' in Pantheon, 1985, mentioned p. 126f
Munch und Deutschland (exhibition catalogue), Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, 1994, mentioned p. 113
Gerd Woll, Edvard Munch, Complete Paintings, Catalogue Raisonne 1898-1908, London, 2009, vol. II, no. 1204,
illustrated in colour p. 1121
CATALOGUE NOTE
Seated Young Woman from 1916 is a remarkable example of Munch's ability to depict human psychology, as well as
of his avant-garde style. The model, Frøydis Mjølstad, was first used by the artist in the years 1916-18 and she sat for
him again several years later. The artist uses vibrant yellows and fiery red to accentuate the woman's face and lips,
whilst the darker blue and purple hues of her dress stand in brilliant contrast which is further enhanced by the bright
palette of the background. This domestic scene finds its lineage in the work of artists such as Edgar Degas and Henri
de Toulouse-Lautrec (fig. 1), possessing an emotional intensity unlike any work of his contemporaries. The energetic
aura surrounding the female figure is reminiscent of the iconic portrait of the artist's sister, Inger Munch (fig. 2).
The sense of voyeurism that pervades the present work is an intentional element for Munch. There is a clear
precedent for this not only in the 'keyhole aesthetic' of Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec but also in the work of Caspar
David Friedrich and Vilhelm Hammershøi. These artists relished the depiction of intimate moments. When Munch
draws upon this lineage in Seated Young Woman, he achieves a spontaneity that contradicts the careful detail of
these other masters. The woman here is depicted in a pensive, melancholic moment, caught up in her own thought.
Munch's works had a strong influence on German Expressionist artists, who had an opportunity to see his paintings in
several exhibitions in Germany between 1905 and 1908. The brilliant, wild palette that dominated the artist's canvases
as well as his emotional emphasis had a powerful impact on the Brücke artists who were eager to move away from
the realistic representation of the outside world and looking for a more expressive response to painting. It was the
daring, emotional power of Munch's portraits, pulsating with undulating lines and vivid dramatic brushstrokes that had
such a profound effect on some of the major figures of twentieth century art including Kirchner, Schmidt-Rottluff,
Pechstein and Jawlensky.
The present work was deaccessioned from the Städtische Galerie in Frankfurt in 1937 and subsequently bought by
the famous Oslo dealer Harold Holst Halvorsen. He was a great friend of Munch and known for rescuing works out of
the hands of the National Socialists. For this very reason the present work was offered in one of Halvorsen's sales in
1939 under the following premise: 'Edvard Munch would like all the paintings [...] to be on loan to possible exhibitions
in Paris and London. The pictures will be sold on this condition' (Harald Holst Halvorsens Kunsthandel, Kolleksjonen
selges ved Auksjon, Oslo, 23rd January 1939, p. 6, translated from Norwegian). The work was subsequently acquired
by Thomas Olsen, the famous Norwegian collector and fervent supporter of the artist, who amognst other
masterpieces owned a version of The Scream.
FIG. 1, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Hélène Vary, 1888, oil on board, Kunsthalle, Bremen
FIG. 2, Edvard Munch, Inger i svart og fiolett, 1892, oil on canvas, Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design,
Oslo
Fig. 1
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Hélène Vary, 1888, oil on board,
Kunsthalle, Bremen
Fig. 2
Edvard Munch, Inger i svart og fiolett, 1892, oil on canvas,
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, Oslo