Micenic
- Date
- c.1942
- Material
- Oil on board
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- American Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 11 9/16 × 10 1/2 in. (29.4 × 26.7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Peter Heinbecker
- Rights
- © Estate of Siegfried Reinhardt
- Object Number
- 285:1979
NOTES
The intimate size and provocative elements of this painting draw us close to examine the world within its frame. An open matchbook and tiny bell hang from a crumbling wall. An ink pen drips from the contorted hand of a man whose flesh mutates to a glowing green. Though inexplicable, all is typical in the small, compacted compositions of Siegfried Reinhardt.
The title, “Micenic,” is an obscure form of Mycenaean. The Mycenaean culture is the setting for some of the best-known ancient Greek literature and mythology, including Homer's “Iliad” and “Odyssey.” In the painting, grass roots push down through an excavated room adorned with a Greek motif, suggesting the buried remains of ancient cultures. True to Reinhardt's surrealist style, the exact relationship of the writer to his setting remains a mystery.
Provenance
- 1945
William Booth Papin (1868-1945), St. Louis, MO, acquired from the artist
1945 - 1979
Eugenie Papin Thomas (1877-1957), by inheritance; Mary Thomas Heinbecker (1908-1979), by inheritance; William Papin Heinbecker (1940-1979), by inheritance; Peter Papin Heinbecker by gift. [1]
1979 –
Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Peter (Pamela Covilli) Heinbecker [2]
Notes:
[1] According to information on catalogue sheet, the painting descended through St. Louis family: Eugenie Papin (Mrs. Charles E.) Thomas is the sister of William Booth Papin and the siblings shared a home at 4925 Pershing; Mary Thomas (Mrs. Peter) Heinbecker is the daughter of Eugenie Papin Thomas; William Papin Heinbecker is the son of Mary Thomas Heinbecker; Peter Papin Heinbecker is the brother of William Papin Heinbecker. [SLAM document files]
[2] Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Administrative Board of Control, Saint Louis Art Museum, October 10, 1979.
William Booth Papin (1868-1945), St. Louis, MO, acquired from the artist
1945 - 1979
Eugenie Papin Thomas (1877-1957), by inheritance; Mary Thomas Heinbecker (1908-1979), by inheritance; William Papin Heinbecker (1940-1979), by inheritance; Peter Papin Heinbecker by gift. [1]
1979 –
Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Peter (Pamela Covilli) Heinbecker [2]
Notes:
[1] According to information on catalogue sheet, the painting descended through St. Louis family: Eugenie Papin (Mrs. Charles E.) Thomas is the sister of William Booth Papin and the siblings shared a home at 4925 Pershing; Mary Thomas (Mrs. Peter) Heinbecker is the daughter of Eugenie Papin Thomas; William Papin Heinbecker is the son of Mary Thomas Heinbecker; Peter Papin Heinbecker is the brother of William Papin Heinbecker. [SLAM document files]
[2] Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Administrative Board of Control, Saint Louis Art Museum, October 10, 1979.
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