Woman (in Strong Light)
- Date
- 1912
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Berlin, Berlin state, Germany, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 215
- Dimensions
- 23 5/8 × 19 1/8 in. (60 × 48.6 cm)
framed: 33 3/8 × 29 7/8 in. (84.8 × 75.9 cm) - Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 923:1983
NOTES
In this half-length portrait, a nude woman sits in a darkened room, turned slightly toward the viewer. Strong light illuminates her body while casting much of her face in shadows. Emil Nolde painted her form with expressive complementary colors. Her warm, golden skin contrasts with the violet and blue shadows, while her red lips and nipples are offset by greens. Although the image lacks a specific narrative, the figure’s nudity and the intensity of the colors create a distinct sexual charge.
Provenance
by 1930 - 1959
Paul Cnyrim, Worms, Germany [1]
1959/11/20 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased at the 34th auction "Moderne Kunst," Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett (Roman Norbert Ketterer), Stuttgart, Germany, November 20-21, 1959, lot no. 622 [2]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [3]
Notes:
[1] The catalogue raisonné on Emil Nolde indicates that Paul Cnyrim, Worms acquired the painting before 1930 [Urban, Martin. "Emil Nolde: Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings. Volume One 1895-1914." London: Sotheby's Publications, 1987, cat. no. 517]. This is confirmed by an inventory of paintings that Nolde created in 1930 [Inventory, Stiftung Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde].
[2] Paul Cnyrim sold the painting at auction in 1959 through the Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett [letter from Wolfgang Henze, Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Archives, dated December 21, 2001; letter from Manfred Reuther, Director of the Stiftung Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde, dated February 13, 2002, SLAM document files].
[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 the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
Paul Cnyrim, Worms, Germany [1]
1959/11/20 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased at the 34th auction "Moderne Kunst," Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett (Roman Norbert Ketterer), Stuttgart, Germany, November 20-21, 1959, lot no. 622 [2]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [3]
Notes:
[1] The catalogue raisonné on Emil Nolde indicates that Paul Cnyrim, Worms acquired the painting before 1930 [Urban, Martin. "Emil Nolde: Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings. Volume One 1895-1914." London: Sotheby's Publications, 1987, cat. no. 517]. This is confirmed by an inventory of paintings that Nolde created in 1930 [Inventory, Stiftung Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde].
[2] Paul Cnyrim sold the painting at auction in 1959 through the Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett [letter from Wolfgang Henze, Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Archives, dated December 21, 2001; letter from Manfred Reuther, Director of the Stiftung Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde, dated February 13, 2002, SLAM document files].
[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 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.