Vaudeville Theater (English Dancing Couple), ca. 1909 – 1910 (1926)

Dimensions: 151.0 x 120.0 cm

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Inventory Number: 2151

Acquisition: Acquired in 1984 as a gift from the Carl Hagemann heirs

Status: On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 11

Texts

About the Work

An elegantly dressed dancer whirls his partner around in a circle with such verve that her skirt becomes plate-like. The dynamic movements of dance fascinated Kirchner throughout his entire life and their reproduction in painting shaped his idea of a fast and immediate art which should capture the scenery as spontaneously as possible. Later, the artist solidified parts of the depiction in order to calm his paintings’ overall effect. This is especially evident in the male dancer’s face. The contrast of complementary colours, which also defines the picture, was preserved and contributes significantly to the liveliness of the depiction.

About the Acquisition

From 1900 onwards, the Frankfurt chemist and industrialist Carl Hagemann (1867‒1940) assembled one of the most important private collections of modern art. It included numerous paintings, drawings, watercolours and prints, especially by members of the artist group “Die Brücke”. After Carl Hagemann died in an accident during the Second World War, the then Städel director Ernst Holzinger arranged for Hagemann’s heirs to evacuate his collection with the museum’s collection. In gratitude, the family donated almost all of the works on paper to the Städel Museum in 1948. Further donations and permanent loans as well as purchases of paintings and watercolours from the Hagemann estate helped to compensate for the losses the museum had suffered in 1937 as part of the Nazi’s “Degenerate Art” campaign. Today, the Hagemann Collection forms the core of the Städel museum’s Expressionist collection.

Audio & Video

Basic information

00:56
Focus on Frankfurt

02:07

ASK AN ARTWORK – Fragen an die Kunst: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Der Rausch des Nachtlebens gebannt auf Leinwand - Ernst Ludwig Kirchners Gemälde "Varieté" (ca. 1909 (1926)) nimmt uns mit. Doch wohin eigentlich genau? ASK AN ARTWORK! In der Serie ASK AN ARTWORK beantwortet die Kunsthistorikerin Anna Huber (Mitarbeiterin der Abteilung Bildung und Vermittlung) aus dem Home Office Fragen, die wir an die Kunst haben. Denn während der Coronakrise kommt das Städel zu euch: #StaydelAtHome #HomeOffice Ernst Ludwig Kirchner "Varieté (Englisches Tanzpaar)", ca. 1909 (1926), in der Digitalen Sammlung: https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/de/werk/variete-englisches-tanzpaar The rush of night life captured on canvas - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's painting "Vaudeville Theater" (ca 1909 (1926)) takes us to a vague place. ASK AN ARTWORK In the series ASK AN ARTWORK art historian Anna Huber (Educational Department of the Städel Museum) answers the questions that we have for art – from home office. Because during the Corona-Crisis, if you can’t come to the Städel Museum, then the Städel Museum will come to you: #StaydelAtHome Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Vaudeville Theater (English Dancing Couple), ca. 1909 (1926), in our Digital Collection: https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/en/work/vaudeville-theater-english-dancing-couple

Work Data

Basic Information

Title: Vaudeville Theater (English Dancing Couple)

Painter

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Period Produced

20th century

School

expressionism

Object Type

painting (artwork)

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Material

canvas

Technique

Label at the Time of Manufacture: Signiert unten rechts: E. L. Kirchner 07
Signiert verso: E L Kirchner Variété 1907

Property and Acquisition

Institution

Städel Museum

Departement

Modern Art 1800–1945

Collection

Städelsches Kunstinstitut

Creditline: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Picture Copyright: Public Domain

Acquisition: Acquired in 1984 as a gift from the Carl Hagemann heirs

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre

genre

Main Motif

Iconclass

Primary

48C865 vaudeville, variety-show
43C92 one pair dancing; man and woman dancing as a couple
31A25432 leading someone by the hand or wrist
41D242 party clothes, festive attire

Secondary

41A711 table
41A721 chair
41C323 glass, rummer
48C8133 curtain ~ stage

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Carl Hagemann (1867-1940), Frankfurt, 1933

Nachlass Carl Hagemann, 1940

Depositum im Städel Museum, Frankfurt, 1941

Schenkung an das Städelsche Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, 1984.

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: