Burning City
- Date
- 1913
- Material
- Double-sided oil on canvas
- made in
- Berlin, Berlin state, Germany, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 26 15/16 x 31 11/16 in. (68.4 x 80.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 913:1983
NOTES
On each side of this canvas, Ludwig Meidner depicts Berlin as an apocalyptic urban landscape. Eerily foretelling the destruction of World War I, Meidner envisioned the city burning and collapsing, set among angular mountains. In the recto image, the artist uses a lurid palette of vibrant reds, blues, greens, and yellows. The multiple perspectives of the falling buildings add energy and chaos to the devastation.
Ludwig Meidner painted around 15 apocalyptic landscapes between 1912 and 1913, and these are generally considered to be the highpoint of his career. The two images here were probably painted on both sides of the canvas to save money. The verso image is darker and more somber than the recto and shows a crouching, terrified figure, which is probably Meidner’s self-portrait. The artist wrote of these paintings: “My brain bled dreadful visions . . . many graves and burned cities writhed across the plains.”
Ludwig Meidner painted around 15 apocalyptic landscapes between 1912 and 1913, and these are generally considered to be the highpoint of his career. The two images here were probably painted on both sides of the canvas to save money. The verso image is darker and more somber than the recto and shows a crouching, terrified figure, which is probably Meidner’s self-portrait. The artist wrote of these paintings: “My brain bled dreadful visions . . . many graves and burned cities writhed across the plains.”
Provenance
by 1923 - 1951
New Art Circle (J. B. Neumann), New York, NY, USA [1]
1951 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from New Art Circle [2]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [3]
Notes:
[1] In 1923, German art dealer J .B. Neumann (also known as I. B. Neumann) left Germany to open a branch of his Berlin and Munich galleries in New York. In 1924, Neumann opened his gallery called J. B. Neumann's Printroom, and later renamed New Art Circle. Upon his departure to the United States, his business partner Karl Nierendorf took over the Berlin gallery. In 1925, Neumann asked Nierendorf to send all the paintings from his personal room in the Berlin gallery to his new gallery in New York. Neumann writes: "Do we still have the two paintings by Meidner 'Burning City' and 'Volcanic Landscape'? Please send me everything that's in my room [in Berlin]" [letter from J. B. Neumann to Karl Nierendorf dated April 19, 1925, in: Lily Harmon papers, 1930-1996, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.].
It is probable that Neumann was referring to this painting. Ludwig Meidner painted an entire series of apocalyptic landscapes, but only this landscape is entitled "Burning City." Furthermore, the painting was not included in any exhibition or publication either in America or abroad for almost three decades. We do not know whether Neumann might have sold and reacquired the painting throughout those years, or whether he kept it for the entire duration.
[2] Per invoice from New Art Circle dated January 10, 1951, and record sheets kept by Morton D. May [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[3] 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 Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
New Art Circle (J. B. Neumann), New York, NY, USA [1]
1951 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from New Art Circle [2]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [3]
Notes:
[1] In 1923, German art dealer J .B. Neumann (also known as I. B. Neumann) left Germany to open a branch of his Berlin and Munich galleries in New York. In 1924, Neumann opened his gallery called J. B. Neumann's Printroom, and later renamed New Art Circle. Upon his departure to the United States, his business partner Karl Nierendorf took over the Berlin gallery. In 1925, Neumann asked Nierendorf to send all the paintings from his personal room in the Berlin gallery to his new gallery in New York. Neumann writes: "Do we still have the two paintings by Meidner 'Burning City' and 'Volcanic Landscape'? Please send me everything that's in my room [in Berlin]" [letter from J. B. Neumann to Karl Nierendorf dated April 19, 1925, in: Lily Harmon papers, 1930-1996, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.].
It is probable that Neumann was referring to this painting. Ludwig Meidner painted an entire series of apocalyptic landscapes, but only this landscape is entitled "Burning City." Furthermore, the painting was not included in any exhibition or publication either in America or abroad for almost three decades. We do not know whether Neumann might have sold and reacquired the painting throughout those years, or whether he kept it for the entire duration.
[2] Per invoice from New Art Circle dated January 10, 1951, and record sheets kept by Morton D. May [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[3] 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 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.