MUNCH Edvard (1863-1944).

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  3. MUNCH Edvard (1863-1944).
  4. Lot n° 191 
Lot n° 191
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Estimation :
25000 - 30000 EUR
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Result : 26 000EUR
MUNCH Edvard (1863-1944).
8 L.A.S. "Edvard Munch" or "Edv. Munch", and an autograph MANUSCRIT, 1912-1931, to Curt GLASER; 25 pages in-8 or in-4 (slight cracks in the folds of one letter); in German. Very interesting correspondence to the German collector and art critic, author of a monograph on the Norwegian painter. [Curt GLASER (1879-1943), art historian and critic, was assistant then curator at the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin, then at the Berlin Art Library, before being dismissed by the Nazis. A collector of German expressionists and Munch, he devoted several articles to the latter as early as 1902, and a monograph published by Cassirer in 1917. A 25-year friendship bound the two men, who met only six times; in June 1913 Munch painted portraits of Glaser and his wife Elsa; and just before the war of 1914 Glaser came to see Munch in Norway, after a visit to Lübeck to the collector Max Linde, to complete the documentation for his book]. [13.X11.1912]. Glaser's letter arrived when Munch was travelling between Kragerö and Holsten. He regrets that he has difficulty understanding German. He thanks Glaser for everything he has done for his art ("mein Dankbarkeit für alles was Sie für mein Kunst gethan haben"), especially with his warm articles in the newspapers, and his beautiful lecture in Jena. He has long seen Glaser's signature at the bottom of laudatory articles, at a time when he had very few friends and many enemies, and was thus comforted in these difficult times: "es ist nicht nur in der letzten Zeit, wo ich doch mehr schon verstanden bin, aber wie lange ist es nicht, ich Ihre Signatur unter freundlichen und lobenden Artikeln gelesen habe in einer Zeit, wo meine Freunde sehr, sehr wenige waren, aber der Feinde viele. Diese haben uns sehr oft an schweren Tagen erfreut". He is going to send him a picture of his workers ("Arbeiterbild", probably Workers in the snow). He hopes to meet Glaser soon during his trip to Berlin... Kragerø [end 1913]. About the preparation of his exhibition in Berlin at GURLITT's in January, then in Frankfurt; he wants to organise it as well as possible, thanks to the help of Glaser and Gurlitt, with paintings from different periods, wanting to give only a glimpse of his clear period: "Es ist wichtich das die Ausstellung gut wird, und mit Gemalden von mehreren Perioden. Augenblicklich bin ich in eine Periode wo ich mich ein Bischen sammelt. I have since lost the whole period. However, it is time to start again. Deswegen muss mehreren alteren Gemälden gebracht werden". He mentions the private collectors whose portraits he has painted (Esche, Max Linde, Rathenau, Glaser, etc.), etc., and talks about his decorations, for which the reviews are very good or very bad: "Wie geht es mit den Dekorationen. Ich habe mehrere sehr gute Besprechungen bekommen, auch ein paar ganz schlechten"... [1914]. The Zeitschrift für Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration asked him for permission to photograph and reproduce his decorations. He wonders if this is related to Glaser's work. He is concerned about the permission he had already given. Kunst und Kunstler would like to reproduce Die Geschichte [one of the decorative paintings for the University of Oslo], but Munch cannot go back on a given permission; and he instructs Glaser to solve this problem. He has received the photographs of the hall and would like the photographer to take the decorative panel and the steamboat at Glaser's house: "Ich habe Fotografen des Saals erhalten. Besten Dank. Vielleicht wird derselbe Fotograf auch das dekorative Bild und das Dampfschiff bei Ihnen fotografieren". He would like to know how the exhibition at GURLITT is going: "I bin neugierig wie es mit der Gurlitt Ausstellung geht. Nun wird ja Gurlitt es erst im Februar arangieren. In allem Falle muzs die Ausstellung gut werden"... Christiania, Victoria Hotel, [ca. 1914-1915]. Glaser is well advised, in these difficult times, to think of his friend in Norway: "Es ist schön das Sie in diesen für Ihnen so grozse Zeiten auch an Ihr Freund in Norwegen denken. He had long prepared a detailed letter to Glaser [probably the manuscript below, Anmärkungen], but he cannot write, and this is the third letter he has been able to write in the last 3 months: "Ich habe schon lange ein ausführliches Brief am Ihnen angefangen. But this is not the case, I am now completely unable to write. Der Brief ist das dritte das überhaupt in 3 Monaten geschrieben habe"... He works a little at the Alma Mater [one of the decorative paintings for the University of Oslo], but thinks that the first idea is the best: "Ich arbeite an Alma Mater ein Bischen, ich glaube aber die erste Auffassung ist das beste". He thinks a lot about his friends in Germany... [End of 1921]. He talks about the preparation of his exhibitions in Basel ("die Basel-Ausstel
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