Untitled
- Date
- 1988
- Material
- Graphite on paper
- made in
- Poggibonsi, Tuscany region, Italy, Europe
- Classification
- Drawings & watercolors
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 9 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. (24.2 x 33.7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Partial and promised gift of Betsy Millard, the Earl and Betsy Millard Collection
- Rights
- © Erwin Pfrang
- Object Number
- 85:2003
NOTES
Erwin Pfrang made this drawing in the small Italian city of Poggibonsi two days before the birth of his son. In anxious anticipation of the event, the artist set up shop in the corner of a bar where he observed and captured the comings and goings of passersby. He saw children on the way to a swimming pool carrying inflatable toy elephants and giraffes. Pfrang was particularly struck by a group of teenagers suffering from a disease that causes premature aging. In this drawing, Pfrang translates his observations into images of fantastical, weightless forms that float in a realm suspended between dream and reality.
Provenance
1988
Galerie Fred Jahn, Munich, Germany, purchased from the artist [1]
by 1988 - 1989
David Nolan Gallery, New York, NY, USA, purchased from Galerie Fred Jahn [2]
1989 -
Earl Millard (d.1996) and Betsy Millard, St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from David Nolan Gallery, with James Ropiequet Schmidt serving as agent [2]
2003 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, partial and promised gift of Betsy Millard [3]
Notes:
The primary source of provenance is Betsy Millard [information for appraisals form, SLAM document files]. Other supporting documents are noted.
[1] E-mail dated January 9, 2006 from Mercedes Rodriguez of Galerie Fred Jahn to Museum researcher Sydney Norton confirms that David Nolan purchased the drawing from Fred Jahn [SLAM document files]. Because an exhibition "Drawings: Frank Günzel, Erwin Pfrang, Rudi Tröger, and Alberto Giacometti" took place at the David Nolan Gallery in 1988, it is probable that this drawing was purchased that same year.
[2] An invoice dated August 7, 1989 addressed to Earl Millard from James Ropiequet Schmidt of St. Louis suggests that James Schmidt served as a broker for David Nolan [SLAM document files]. See note [1].
[3] The terms of this partial and promised gift are detailed in the contract between Betsy Millard and the Saint Louis Art Museum [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 3, 2003.
Galerie Fred Jahn, Munich, Germany, purchased from the artist [1]
by 1988 - 1989
David Nolan Gallery, New York, NY, USA, purchased from Galerie Fred Jahn [2]
1989 -
Earl Millard (d.1996) and Betsy Millard, St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from David Nolan Gallery, with James Ropiequet Schmidt serving as agent [2]
2003 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, partial and promised gift of Betsy Millard [3]
Notes:
The primary source of provenance is Betsy Millard [information for appraisals form, SLAM document files]. Other supporting documents are noted.
[1] E-mail dated January 9, 2006 from Mercedes Rodriguez of Galerie Fred Jahn to Museum researcher Sydney Norton confirms that David Nolan purchased the drawing from Fred Jahn [SLAM document files]. Because an exhibition "Drawings: Frank Günzel, Erwin Pfrang, Rudi Tröger, and Alberto Giacometti" took place at the David Nolan Gallery in 1988, it is probable that this drawing was purchased that same year.
[2] An invoice dated August 7, 1989 addressed to Earl Millard from James Ropiequet Schmidt of St. Louis suggests that James Schmidt served as a broker for David Nolan [SLAM document files]. See note [1].
[3] The terms of this partial and promised gift are detailed in the contract between Betsy Millard and the Saint Louis Art Museum [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 3, 2003.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.