Adam and Eve, Franz von Stuck
Franz von Stuck
Adam and Eve
DE
Back to top

Franz von Stuck

Adam and Eve, ca. 1920


Dimensions
98.0 x 93.7 cm
Physical Description
Tempera on wood
Inventory Number
SG 1156
Acquisition
Acquired in 1955 as a gift from Adolf and Luisa Haeuser
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 6

Texts

About the Work

This Fall of Man does not take place in Paradise. It has grown out of the pitch-black mental states of Franz von Stuck. In a gently arching contrapposto, the bodies of Adam and Eve step out on to the stage in the foreground of the painting. The serpent writhes around Eve's leg, gains possession of her groin, clambers up her outstretched arm and finally bites the apple she is holding in her slender fingers. The red-haired woman gazes longingly at Adam from the shadows. His gesture points back at her body. Sin, lust, decadence - the current state in which Munich's "Painter Prince" finds himself is visualised here symbolically.

About the Acquisition

As legal counsel for the Farbwerke Hoechst, Privy Councillor Adolf Haeuser made a fortune. In keeping with their will, after the death of Adolf Haeuser in 1938 and his wife, Luisa, in 1953, their property was divided up among several foundations whose establishment was likewise stipulated. One was the Adolf und Luisa Haeuser-Stiftung für Kunst- und Kulturpflege. Since that time, this foundation has acquired several paintings which are on view at the Städel in the form of loans. The museum also received paintings from the couple’s private estate.

Audio

  • Basic information
    00:47
  • Focus on religion
    02:05
  • Exhibition “Battle of the Sexes: Franz von Stuck to Frida Kahlo” (2016)
    02:21

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Adam and Eve
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Tempera on wood
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert unten rechts: FRANZ VON STVCK

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1955 as a gift from Adolf and Luisa Haeuser

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Persons Shown
Associated Persons and Institutions
Illustrated Passage
  • Bibel, Altes Testament, Genesis 3,1-6

Iconclass

Primary
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
...
Adolf Haeuser (1857-1938) und Luisa Haeuser (1869-1953), Frankfurt am Main
Vermächtnis Adolf und Luisa Haeuser an die Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt am Main, 1955.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

The successive ownership records are separated from each other by a semicolon.

Gaps in the record of a provenance are indicated by the placeholder “…”. Unsupported information is listed in square brackets.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the museum at .

More to discover

Albums

Contact

Do you have any suggestions, questions or information about this work?

Last update

25.04.2024