Glue-bound distemper on burlap. Signed and inscribed on the reverse. 91 x 72 cm.
With a fully executed depiction of three nude figures in the same technique on the reverse. The painting used to be on the front side and was shown in the celebrated “Brücke” exhibition at Galerie Gurlitt in Berlin in 1912. Due to a lack of painting supplies around 1919, Mueller used the back of the canvas for “Badende am Waldsee” and declared the previous front to be back, placing his signature across the entire painting. The artist ultimately revisited the motif of the three crouching nudes in his 1920 painting “Drei Mädchen im Wald” (Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis). [JS].

• Otto Mueller, the ‘romantic’ among the “Brücke” artists, left behind a small yet exceptional body of work.
• An idealized fusion of humanity and nature rendered in outstanding quality.
• Distant paradise vs. big-city reality: With his Arcadian landscapes, Mueller created a captivating vision of a place of longing in noisy Berlin.
• Significant exhibition history: Presented in the major Otto Mueller retrospective in 2003, and in “Otto Mueller: Wegbereiter der ‘Künstlergruppe Brücke’” in 2012/13.
• In 1912, the current reverse side was already shown in the “Brücke” exhibition at Galerie Gurlitt, Berlin.
• Part of a German private collection for 50 years.
• Today, comparable paintings are largely held in international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, and the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin.
LITERATURE: Mario-Andreas von Lüttichau, Tanja Pirsig-Marshall, Otto Mueller. Vol. 1: Gemälde, Cologne 2020, catalogue raisonné no. G 1919/08 (148) (illustrated) -- Wenzel Nachbaur: Otto Mueller Works List, Roman Norbert Ketterer Archive, Kirchner Museum, Davos, 1950s (illustrated) Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Roman Norbert Ketterer, Moderne Kunst. Gemälde, Aquarelle, Graphik, Auction May 33, 29, and 30, 1959, Lot 610, illustrated on plate 41. Weltkunst, Vol. 43, Munich 1973, issue 5, p. 299 Galerie Koller, Zurich, Auction 34, November 7-22, 1975, Lot 2906 (illustrated). Roman Norbert Ketterer, Modern Art IX, Campionde d'Italia, cat. no. 37 (illustrated) Mario-Andreas von Lüttichau, Tanja Pirsig (eds.), Otto Mueller. Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings and Drawings (CD-ROM), Munich 2003, Essen 2007/08. Tanja Pirsig-Marshall, “Die Brücke als Katalysator für Muellers Schaffen,” in: Jahrbuch der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden 32, special edition: Gruppe und Individuum in der Künstlergemeinschaft Brücke. 100 Jahre Brücke - Neueste Forschungen, Dresden 2007, illustrated (the painting on the reverse side).

Brücke, Galerie Fritz Gurlit, Berlin, 1912 (the painting on the reverse side). Otto Mueller. Neue Gemälde, Galerie Dr. Goldschmidt - Dr. Wallerstein, Berlin, March 18-April 15, 1923 (with a label bearing the handwritten number 1683 on the stretcher). Otto Mueller zum 90. Geburtstag , Galerie Nierendorf, Kunstblätter der Galerie Nierendorf 4/5, Berlin, June 29-October 14, 1964, cat. no. 2 (illustrated). 4. Westdeutsche Kunstmesse Cologne, March 17 - 25, 1973. Otto Mueller. Eine Retrospektive, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, March 21-June 22, 2003; Museum Folkwang, Essen, July 4-September 28, 2003, cat. no. 20 (ilustrated) Einfach, Eigen, Einzig. Otto Mueller 1874-1930. Wegbereiter der “Künstlergruppe Brücke” und deren “selbstverständliches Mitglied”, Kunstsammlungen Zwickau, February 5-May 6, 2012; Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, November 15, 2012-February 24, 2013, among others, cat. no. 207 (illustrated) Städtische Galerie, Dresden (permanent loan, 2004-2025)

Collection of Fritz and Irma Epstein, Duisburg / London / Los Angeles, CA (acquired before September 1935, possibly in 1928 directly from the artist). Collection of Marianne Pinkus, née Epstein, and Gerhard E. Pinkus, Beverly Hills, CA (from the aforementioned, until 1959: Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett). Private collection (acquired from the above in 1959). Galerie Nierendorf, Berlin (1964, probably on consignment). Norbert Nusser, Munich (1973). Roman Norbert Ketterer, Campione d'Italia (since 1975: Koller). Private collection, Rhineland (acquired from the above in 1976). Private collection, South Germany (inherited from the above)

Condition report on request katalogisierung@kettererkunst.de