Edvard Munch (1863-1945)
‘Fertility’
Oil on canvas
Estimate: $25-35 million
Edvard Munch’s ‘Fertility’ for sale at Christie’s Christie’s will offer for sale Edvard Munch’s Fertility (estimate: $25-35 million) – one of the most important works by the artist remaining in private hands – as the cover lot of its upcoming Evening Sale of Impressionist and Modern Art on May 4 2010]]>
April 10th 2010, source: Christie’s
Painted in the late 1890s, Fertility was originally purchased in 1902 by Dr. Max Linde, the German patron responsible for helping Munch establish his career in Germany. Since 1918, the large-format painting has remained in private collections in Scandinavia, with periodic loans to prestigious museum and gallery exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States. The upcoming sale marks the first occasion that the work has ever been offered at public auction.
Conor Jordan, Head of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s New York, comments:
“Edvard Munch remains one of the most fascinating and influential artists of the Modern era – a pioneer of the Expressionist movement who sought to explore the deeper, universal truths of the human condition through art. We are delighted to present this exceedingly rare opportunity to acquire a true masterpiece from the most desirable period of Munch’s career. Beyond this painting’s pure aesthetic beauty, its rich, layered narrative, beautifully-worked surface, and remarkable state of preservation all combine to make this a highly sought-after prize for collectors, with record-breaking potential on auction night.”
At nearly 4 feet high by 4½ feet wide, Fertility is the one of the largest works of Munch’s early career. Rendered in verdant greens with rich orange, red, and yellow accents, the painting’s focal point is a lush fruit tree laden with ripe red cherries. A man and woman dressed in rustic work clothes stand facing each other on either side of the tree, creating a tableau reminiscent of Adam and Eve before the Tree of Life. Though the woman’s visible pregnancy and the scene’s lush greenery seem to communicate a theme of regeneration and hope, a fresh wound – as from a newly-cut bough – mars the tree trunk between the two figures and lends the scene an ominous, unsettled element.
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