Woman in the Green Blouse
- Date
- c.1912–13
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Berlin, Berlin state, Germany, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 214
- Dimensions
- 31 5/8 x 27 5/8 in. (80.3 x 70.2 cm)
framed: 38 5/8 x 34 7/8 x 2 9/16 in. (98.1 x 88.6 x 6.5 cm) - Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 903:1983
NOTES
In this disorienting portrait, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted his partner, Erna Schilling, lying in bed as if she’s standing upright. Her half-closed eyes and expressive gestures make her seem weary or uneasy. Schilling posed for Kirchner in his Berlin studio, which the artist decorated with painted wall hangings, carved sculpture, and patterned textiles, like the pink bed cover in this portrait.
Provenance
1913 -
Ida Fischer, purchased from the artist [1]
by 1923 - 1926
Ludwig Fischer (1860-1922) and Rosy Fischer (d.1926), Frankfurt am Main, Germany [2]
1926 - 1958/1959
Ernst Fischer (1896-1981), Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Rochester, NY, USA; Richmond, VA, by inheritance [3]
1958
New Gallery (Eugene V. Thaw), New York, NY
1958 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from New Gallery [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] According to Morton D. May's records, this painting was purchased from the artist in Frankfurt by "Frau Ida Fischer" in 1913 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] It is likely that Ida Fischer was a relative of Ludwig and Rosy Fischer, although this has not been substantiated. This painting is visible in a photograph of Ludwig and Rosy Fischer's dining room taken in 1923, a year after Ludwig Fischer's death [Heuberger, Georg, Ed. "Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig and Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main." München: Prestel, 1990, p. 18]. Another work by Kirchner now in the Museum's collection, a sculpture titled "Standing Nude" (402:1955) is also visible in the same 1923 photograph.
Ludwig and Rosy Fischer were art collectors who, by the time of Ludwig's death, had amassed a collection of about 500 works. Finding that the rate of inflation made it impossible to maintain the collection, Rosy Fischer founded an art gallery in her home in November of 1923 called the Fischer Gallery. The gallery was not successful, however, and Rosy closed it in 1925. She died in 1926 while traveling in Egypt [Heuberger, p. 170].
[3] The Fischer collection was divided and inherited by Ludwig and Rosy Fischer's sons, Max Fischer (1893-1954) and Ernst Fischer. This painting was part of the collection inherited by Ernst Fischer, who left Frankfurt in 1934 with his wife Anne and two children, and immigrated to the United States. He took a medical position in Rochester, NY and moved a year later to Richmond, VA.
According to Heuberger, "Woman in a Green Blouse" was one of four paintings that Ernst Fischer sold in 1958/1959 [Heuberger, p. 118].
[4] According to Morton D. May's records, he purchased the painting in 1958 from New Gallery on December 4, 1958 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. It is likely that New Gallery acquired the painting from Ernst Fischer or acted as agent in a transfer from Ernst Fischer to Morton D. May.
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
Ida Fischer, purchased from the artist [1]
by 1923 - 1926
Ludwig Fischer (1860-1922) and Rosy Fischer (d.1926), Frankfurt am Main, Germany [2]
1926 - 1958/1959
Ernst Fischer (1896-1981), Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Rochester, NY, USA; Richmond, VA, by inheritance [3]
1958
New Gallery (Eugene V. Thaw), New York, NY
1958 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from New Gallery [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] According to Morton D. May's records, this painting was purchased from the artist in Frankfurt by "Frau Ida Fischer" in 1913 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] It is likely that Ida Fischer was a relative of Ludwig and Rosy Fischer, although this has not been substantiated. This painting is visible in a photograph of Ludwig and Rosy Fischer's dining room taken in 1923, a year after Ludwig Fischer's death [Heuberger, Georg, Ed. "Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig and Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main." München: Prestel, 1990, p. 18]. Another work by Kirchner now in the Museum's collection, a sculpture titled "Standing Nude" (402:1955) is also visible in the same 1923 photograph.
Ludwig and Rosy Fischer were art collectors who, by the time of Ludwig's death, had amassed a collection of about 500 works. Finding that the rate of inflation made it impossible to maintain the collection, Rosy Fischer founded an art gallery in her home in November of 1923 called the Fischer Gallery. The gallery was not successful, however, and Rosy closed it in 1925. She died in 1926 while traveling in Egypt [Heuberger, p. 170].
[3] The Fischer collection was divided and inherited by Ludwig and Rosy Fischer's sons, Max Fischer (1893-1954) and Ernst Fischer. This painting was part of the collection inherited by Ernst Fischer, who left Frankfurt in 1934 with his wife Anne and two children, and immigrated to the United States. He took a medical position in Rochester, NY and moved a year later to Richmond, VA.
According to Heuberger, "Woman in a Green Blouse" was one of four paintings that Ernst Fischer sold in 1958/1959 [Heuberger, p. 118].
[4] According to Morton D. May's records, he purchased the painting in 1958 from New Gallery on December 4, 1958 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. It is likely that New Gallery acquired the painting from Ernst Fischer or acted as agent in a transfer from Ernst Fischer to Morton D. May.
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.