Absolute rarity: A Kokoschka for Dresden and Hanover

The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) and the Sprengel Museum Hannover have jointly acquired a major work by Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) from his Dresden period. The painting "Summer I" was created in 1922 and was acquired from private ownership with the help of several foundations at an auction via Christie's in London. From 1925 to 1965, it was part of the collection of silk manufacturer Hermann Lange (1874-1942) and his wife Marie in Krefeld, and was later loaned to various public museums.

Painting fills gap in Saxony's collection of classical modernism

The painting, which measures 1.10 meters by 1.40 meters, will move between museums every four years, starting with Dresden. It was on display there from 1995 until 2023, when the heirs put it up for sale. "The painting is very familiar to people here and has been on display here for years as a loan," said SKD Director General Marion Ackermann.

The purchase could "help to fill some of the gaps in this area of classical modernism". In addition, the year in which the painting was created points precisely to an internationally successful phase for the artist, who painted the main hall of the Venice Biennale in 1922.

Stephanie Tasch from the Kulturstiftung der Länder, which contributed half a million euros, spoke of a successful alliance "to make this important work of art permanently accessible to the public". This is a model, especially in times of financial strain. The Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation and the Fritz Behrens Foundation Hanover also supported the project.

Rarely acquired in the field of classical modernism

Kokoschka's work has an important status in both museums. It was already part of the collection of Margrit and Bernhard Sprengel, on whose donation the museum was founded. "We are happy to let Dresden take the lead," said Sprengel Director Reinhard Spieler. It is a rare event for museums to be able to acquire works for their collections during the classical modern period. "We were still missing an important major work for precisely this period, which was incredibly important for Kokoschka."

The Austrian Kokoschka is one of the most important representatives of Expressionist painting and lived in Dresden between 1916 and 1923. In 1919, he was the youngest ever professor at the art academy there and continued to develop his artistic style.

The Dresden Picture Gallery with its Old Master paintings inspired the painter. In "Summer I", the body of a reclining, partially clothed woman as well as the landscape in the background are modeled from generous, contrasting, luminous areas of color.