The Street, plate 3 from the portfolio “Hell”
- Date
- 1919
- Material
- Transfer lithograph
- published in
- Berlin, Berlin state, Germany, Europe
- made in
- Frankfurt am Main, Hessen state, Germany, Europe
- printed in
- Frankfurt am Main, Hessen state, Germany, Europe
- Classification
- Prints
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- image: 26 1/2 x 21 1/16 in. (67.3 x 53.5 cm)
sheet: 31 11/16 x 24 7/16 in. (80.5 x 62.1 cm) - Credit Line
- Funds given by Mr. and Mrs. Lester A. Crancer Jr. in honor of Judith Weiss Levy
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 3:1990
NOTES
The jumble of human figures in this image reflects Beckmann's disillusionment with the world after the World War I, which culminated in the graphic series, "Hell," from 1919, of which The Street is a part. The eleven lithographs in the series were prompted by Beckmann's short stay in Berlin in March 1919, one of the bloodiest months of the revolution and counter-revolution in Germany between 1919 and 1923. As in Dante's Divine Comedy, Beckmann takes us through a variety of stations on the descent into hell, but here "hell" is the chaotic reality of post-war Germany rather than a subterranean place.
Provenance
Günther Franke (1900–1976), Munich, Germany [1]
Private Collection, Hamburg, Germany [2]
- 1985/06/06
Galerie Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, Germany, purchased from private collection [3]
1985/06/06 - 1986
Alice Adam, Ltd., Chicago, IL, USA, purchased at auction "Moderne Kunst mit Beständen aus der Kunstsammlung Pelikan, Hannover" from Galerie Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, June 6, 1985, lot no. 123 [4]
1986 - 1990
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, purchased from Alice Adam, Ltd. [5]
1990 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from The Art Institute of Chicago through Alice Adam, Ltd. [6]
Notes:
[1] Edition 11/75 of the "Hell" portfolio is listed as belonging to Günther Franke [Hofmaier, James. "Max Beckmann: Catalogue raisonné of his Prints. Bern: Gallery Kornfeld, 1990, vol. 1, Kat #141].
[2] An E-mail dated November 21, 2005 from Gabriele Braun of the Hamburg auction house Hauswedell & Nolte to Museum researcher Sydney Norton states that the lithograph was purchased from a private collector who resided in Hamburg. The collector, no longer living, was a doctor who never married. He has no living relatives. The date of purchase and name of collector are unknown [SLAM document files].
[3] See note [1].
[4] An E-mail dated November 14, 2005 from Alice Adam to Sydney Norton, Museum researcher, states that Adam purchased this print at auction on June 6, 1985 [SLAM document files]. See auction catalog ["Moderne Kunst mit Beständen aus der Kunstsammlung Pelikan, Hannover." Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, June 6, 1985, lot no. 123].
[5] Per telephone conversation that took place October 21, 2005 between Lucia Tantardini Lloyd, provenance researcher of Prints & Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Sydney Norton, Museum researcher, this work was in the possession of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1986-1990. In 1990, it was sold as a duplicate to the Saint Louis Art Museum, with Alice Adam, Ltd. serving as agent [SLAM document files].
[6] Invoice dated March 5, 1990 [SLAM document files]; Minutes of the Collection Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 1, 1990.
Private Collection, Hamburg, Germany [2]
- 1985/06/06
Galerie Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, Germany, purchased from private collection [3]
1985/06/06 - 1986
Alice Adam, Ltd., Chicago, IL, USA, purchased at auction "Moderne Kunst mit Beständen aus der Kunstsammlung Pelikan, Hannover" from Galerie Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, June 6, 1985, lot no. 123 [4]
1986 - 1990
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, purchased from Alice Adam, Ltd. [5]
1990 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from The Art Institute of Chicago through Alice Adam, Ltd. [6]
Notes:
[1] Edition 11/75 of the "Hell" portfolio is listed as belonging to Günther Franke [Hofmaier, James. "Max Beckmann: Catalogue raisonné of his Prints. Bern: Gallery Kornfeld, 1990, vol. 1, Kat #141].
[2] An E-mail dated November 21, 2005 from Gabriele Braun of the Hamburg auction house Hauswedell & Nolte to Museum researcher Sydney Norton states that the lithograph was purchased from a private collector who resided in Hamburg. The collector, no longer living, was a doctor who never married. He has no living relatives. The date of purchase and name of collector are unknown [SLAM document files].
[3] See note [1].
[4] An E-mail dated November 14, 2005 from Alice Adam to Sydney Norton, Museum researcher, states that Adam purchased this print at auction on June 6, 1985 [SLAM document files]. See auction catalog ["Moderne Kunst mit Beständen aus der Kunstsammlung Pelikan, Hannover." Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, June 6, 1985, lot no. 123].
[5] Per telephone conversation that took place October 21, 2005 between Lucia Tantardini Lloyd, provenance researcher of Prints & Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Sydney Norton, Museum researcher, this work was in the possession of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1986-1990. In 1990, it was sold as a duplicate to the Saint Louis Art Museum, with Alice Adam, Ltd. serving as agent [SLAM document files].
[6] Invoice dated March 5, 1990 [SLAM document files]; Minutes of the Collection Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 1, 1990.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.