Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

1 Around 1900 through a new interest in Dürer, the woodcut, a high-pressure process, which in his
time had triggered this technique’s first fashion trend, finds a new lease of life with artists like
Munch or Gauguin. Through the possibility of large quantities and an unvarying quality in the work,
an artist can see to a significant dissemination of his art.
2 Magdalena M. Moeller, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Zeichnungen und Aquarelle, exhibition at Brücke-
Museum and the Kulturgeschichtliches Museum Osnabrück, Munich, 1993, p. 32. See also catalogue
raisonné Dube, No. 50, No. 63.
3 Garman Ryan Collection, New York.
4 As reported by Fritz Schumacher. See Timothy O. Benson: “Der Expressionismus in Deutschland und
Frankreich” in: exh. cat., Expressionismus in Deutschland und Frankreich. Von Matisse zum Blauen
Reiter, exhibition at Kunsthaus Zurich, Munich 2014, p. 14.
5 On the private collections and Kirchner’s art dealers, see exh. cat. Expressionismus im Rhein-Main-
Gebiet. Künstler – Händler – Sammler, Museum Giersch, Frankfurt 2011, Petersberg 2011, esp. the
articles by Christoph Otterbeck, pp. 253-261, and Andreas Hansert, pp. 216-223.
6 Lothar Grisebach, E. L. Kirchners Davoser Tagebuch, Cologne 1968, p. 54.
7 Kirchner lived there till his suicide on June 15th, 1938. Erna lived in the house until her death in
1945. His stay there resulted in the fact that, in contrast to artists who remained in Germany
during the war, no bombs or fires destroyed his works.
8 Reisetagebuch 1925/26, 28.12.1925, Grisebach, loc. cit., p. 112.
9 Ibid., p. 113. His effort to an ongoing development culminated in his invention of the art critic, Louis
de Marsalle. It was under this pseudonym that Kirchner published articles on his work for 13 years.
10 Grisebach, loc. cit., p. 130 f, Reisetagebuch, note from 16 Sept 1926.
11 Cited from Felix Krämer in: exh. cat., Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Retrospektive, Städel Museum, Frankfurt,
Ostfildern 2010, p. 283. The passages quoted from the letters are derived from: Hans Delfs
(ed.), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Der gesamte Briefwechsel, 4 vols., Zurich 2010, No. 2555 and id. (ed.),
Kirchner, Schmidt-Rottluff, Nolde, Nay ... Briefe an den Sammler und Mäzen Carl Hagemann 1906-
1940, Ostfildern-Ruit 2004, p. 580 f., No. 752.
Kirchner’s estate includes almost 2000 letters. See the survey on this by Christian Saehrendt,
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Bohème-Identität und nationale Sendung, dissertation Heidelberg 2002,
Frankfurt 2003, p. 75 ff.
12 Oil on canvas, Musée Picasso Paris. Another version was recently exhibited at Kunsthaus Zurich
in the context of the “Reenactments” of the first retrospective of the artist, 1932 in Zurich.
15.10.2010- 30.1.2011. http://www.kunsthaus.ch/picasso/ausstellung.php (accessed on 17 october
2014).
13 Also when he does actually depict girls playing ball in 1931/32. Oil on canvas, signed Kirchner,
Museum Davos, catalogue raisonné Gordon 993.
14 The approach to Picasso that is testified to in Kirchner literature in the sense of a reception and
a style adoption is discussed by Hyang-Sook Kim in: Die Frauendarstellungen im Werk von Ernst
Ludwig Kirchner. Verborgene Selbstbekenntnisse des Malers, dissertation Marburg 2001, Marburg
2002. On Picasso esp. p. 185 ff.
15 Grisebach, Davoser Tagebuch, loc. cit., p. 93 f.
16 Further detailed in: Hanna Strzoda, Die Ateliers Ernst Ludwig Kirchners. Eine Studie zur Rezeption
“primitiver“ europäischer und außereuropäischer Kulturen, diss. Bamberg 2004, Petersberg 2006,
esp. p. 282-289.
17 Roland März, “Tahiti – Moritzburg und zurück” in: exh. cat., Paul Gauguin, Das verlorene Paradies,
Museum Folkwang Essen, Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin, Cologne 1998, p. 280.
18 See also the article by Nicole Brandmüller “Ein Expressionist in Berlin” in the exh. cat. Ernst Ludwig
Kirchner. Retrospektive, Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Ostfildern 2010, p. 99-105.
19 Letter from 29 July 1937 to Luise Schiefler, widow of the collector Gustav Schiefler. Printed in Ernst
Ludwig Kirchner, Gustav Schiefler. Briefwechsel 1910-1935/1938, ed. by Wolfgang Henze with
editing by Annemarie Dube-Heynig and Magdalena Kraemer-Noble, Stuttgart/Zurich 1990, p. 711f.
catalogue raisonné.
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