Tulb
- Date
- 1976
- Material
- Acrylic on canvas
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 111 x 111 3/8 in. (281.9 x 282.9 cm)
framed: 112 1/4 x 112 in. (285.1 x 284.5 cm) - Credit Line
- Friends Endowment Fund; and bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn in honor of her father, David May, by exchange
- Rights
- © A.R. Penck, Courtesy Galerie Michael Werner, New York--Cologne
- Object Number
- 14:2003
NOTES
A black eagle hovers above the German word "blut," or blood, spelled backward. A.R. Penck was fascinated with the eagle, a longstanding symbol of German national identity. When paired with the word blut, it recalls the trauma of Germany’s past, particularly the terror and bloodshed of World War II and the Holocaust. Penck, who lived in East Germany at the time he created this painting, was suggesting a shared German history and the responsibility of Germany as a whole to examine its past.
Provenance
by 1978 -
Private Collection, Cologne, Germany [1]
by 1981 -
Private Collection, Paris, France [2]
by 1983 -
Private Collection, Cologne, Germany [3]
- 2003
Michael Werner Gallery, New York, NY, USA; Cologne, Germany
2003 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the Michael Werner Gallery [4]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a letter from the Michael Werner Gallery dated May 24, 2002 [SLAM document files].
[1] According to the catalogue for the 1978 Venice Biennale, this painting was in the possession of a private collector in Cologne [Kraus, Ziva and Maria Bugli. "La Biennale di Venezia 1978: From Nature to Art, From Art to Nature." Milan: Gruppo Editoriale Electa, 1978, p. 46-47, 58].
[2] A 1981 publication notes the painting's presence in a private collection in Paris ["Jörg Immendorff, Per Kirkeby, Markus Lüpertz, A. R. Penck: Hunden tillstöter under veckans lopp." Stockholm: Moderna Museet, 1981, no. 43].
[3] A 1983 exhibition catalogue indicates that the painting was in a private collection in Cologne [Cowart, Jack. "Expressions: New Art from Germany - Georg Baselitz, Jörg Immendorff, Anselm Kiefer, Markus Lüpertz, A. R. Penck." Munich: Prestel Verlag, 1983, p. 154]. A 1982 publication also states that the painting is in the hands of a private collector, but it is unclear if the Paris or Cologne collector is referenced ["Mythe Drame Tragédie." Saint Étienne: Musée d'Art et d'Industrie, 1982, p. 88, 92].
[4] Purchase agreement between Michael Werner Gallery and the Saint Louis Art Museum, May 1, 2003 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 4, 2003; and the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 10, 2003.
Private Collection, Cologne, Germany [1]
by 1981 -
Private Collection, Paris, France [2]
by 1983 -
Private Collection, Cologne, Germany [3]
- 2003
Michael Werner Gallery, New York, NY, USA; Cologne, Germany
2003 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the Michael Werner Gallery [4]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a letter from the Michael Werner Gallery dated May 24, 2002 [SLAM document files].
[1] According to the catalogue for the 1978 Venice Biennale, this painting was in the possession of a private collector in Cologne [Kraus, Ziva and Maria Bugli. "La Biennale di Venezia 1978: From Nature to Art, From Art to Nature." Milan: Gruppo Editoriale Electa, 1978, p. 46-47, 58].
[2] A 1981 publication notes the painting's presence in a private collection in Paris ["Jörg Immendorff, Per Kirkeby, Markus Lüpertz, A. R. Penck: Hunden tillstöter under veckans lopp." Stockholm: Moderna Museet, 1981, no. 43].
[3] A 1983 exhibition catalogue indicates that the painting was in a private collection in Cologne [Cowart, Jack. "Expressions: New Art from Germany - Georg Baselitz, Jörg Immendorff, Anselm Kiefer, Markus Lüpertz, A. R. Penck." Munich: Prestel Verlag, 1983, p. 154]. A 1982 publication also states that the painting is in the hands of a private collector, but it is unclear if the Paris or Cologne collector is referenced ["Mythe Drame Tragédie." Saint Étienne: Musée d'Art et d'Industrie, 1982, p. 88, 92].
[4] Purchase agreement between Michael Werner Gallery and the Saint Louis Art Museum, May 1, 2003 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 4, 2003; and the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 10, 2003.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.