Erich Heckel
1883 - 1970
Zwei Sitzende am Strand. 1923.
Woodcut, hand.colored.
Signed, dated, and inscribed “handkolor.”. One of a total of 9 known copies. On Japan paper. 40.5 x 28.3 cm (15.9 x 11.1 in). Sheet ca. 48,2 x 35,3 cm (18,9 x 13,8 in).
Still featuring the solid black area in the bush from the first printing state, but already showing the area at the lower back of the right figure from the second printing state, which has been entirely dissolved into lines. [AR].

• One of the few hand-colored copies.
• Around 1923, bathers were among Heckel’s favorite motifs.
• The theme of these works is existence in unspoiled nature, free from the constraints of daily life.

We thank Ms. Renate Ebner for the kind assistance.

PROVENANCE: Gustav Ferdinand Jung (1878-1943) Collection, Hagen.
Dr. Carl Hagemann (1867-1940) Collection, Essen.
Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Private collection, Northern Germany.
Private collection, Southern Germany.
In the family’s possession ever since.

LITERATURE: Renate Ebner, Andreas Gabelmann, Erich Heckel. Werkverzeichnis der Druckgraphik, vol. 2: 1914–1968, Munich 2021, CR no. 793 H I–II (of II) (with an illustration of an uncolored copy).
Annemarie and Wolf-Dieter Dube, Erich Heckel. Das graphische Werk, Vol. 1: Holzschnitte, New York 1964, CR no. H 337 (with an illustration of an uncolored copy).
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Ketterer Kunst, Munich, 219th Auction, Modern Art I, Dec. 1, 1997, lot 28 (with a color illustration). Grisebach, Berlin, Auction 141, Art of the 19th & 20th Centuries, Dec. 2, 2006, lot 170 (with a color illustration).

In good condition. The edges of the sheet are cut irregularly, and the paper is slightly thinned in places, likely due to an old mounting on the reverse. There is a tiny tear in the margin on the right. The upper right corner has been professionally stabilized and backed. There is a small, faint crease in the white margin at the lower right.
For information concerning the condition, please view the high resolution image / backside image.