"Naked Girl"

(1887 Meschede – 1914 at Perthes-lès-Zurlich) "Nude Girl." Originally titled "A Skillfully Sketched Female Nude Sitting, Resting on Her Right Fist and Brushing Hair from Her Face with Her Left Hand." The four years before World War I were the most vibrant in Macke’s oeuvre, during which several developments in modern art reached their fruition. Dreamy park landscapes and girls became the main motifs of the Expressionist. In 1910, he met Franz Marc, who became a close artistic friend, and in 1911 he joined the art group "Der Blaue Reiter," led by Marc and Wassily Kandinsky, participating in its almanac and exhibitions. One of the last highlights in Macke’s creative life was a trip to Tunisia in April 1914 with Swiss artists Louis Moilliet and Paul Klee, from which he returned with a rich collection of magnificent watercolors. Pencil/paper. Likely inscribed on the back by the artist’s widow, Elisabeth Erdmann-Macke, with the artist’s note, title, location Bonn, and date 1911, as well as a stamp of provenance (Lugt 1775b). On the mat also in the same hand, with the artist’s note, title, and dating, along with a provenance stamp and handwritten number BZ 2.24. Approx. 19.8 cm x 19.4 cm. Framed. Literature: Heiderich, Ursula: August Macke. Drawings. Catalogue of Works, Hatje, Stuttgart 1993, p. 358, cat. no. 879. Exhibition: August Macke, on the Twentieth Anniversary of His Death, Galerie von der Heyde, Berlin 1934, catalog no. 46 (?).