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Alternative titles
Drei Badende
Feldafing
Other titles
Bathers
Girls bathing
1913
Painting
oil on canvas
197.5 x 147.5cm stretcher; 215.2 x 165.0 x 6.5cm frame
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 1984
158.1984
Art Gallery of NSW, Level 2, Impressionism & 20th Century European Art Galleries
Further information
As one of the founding artists of 'Die Brücke' group in 1905, Kirchner is essential to the history of German expressionism, a movement he virtually personifies. Trained in Munich and Dresden, he was attracted to neo-impressionism, van Gogh and tribal artefacts, combining influences from all three in his searingly emotional paintings, drawings and prints. His woodcuts and woodcarvings combine traditional German folk forms with more primitive instincts. His oil paintings, ranging from ambitiously large to intimate in scale, equally show the effects of ethnographic research. The nudes in 'Three bathers' resemble the artist's painted carvings, echoing in turn the sculpted Eves of medieval art as well as African and Pacific statuary. Wearing lipstick and a look of enervation, these Berlin day-trippers huddle defensively in the Baltic waves. Uncannily presaging the coming blitzkrieg, the figures also predict the artist's own deteriorating health. Conscripted in 1915, Kirchner was discharged six months later with tuberculosis.
AGNSW Handbook, 1999.
Provenance
Fischer Fine Art Ltd (England), pre 28 Sep 1984, London/England, Purchased by the AGNSW from Fischer Fine Art 1984
Mr & Mrs Frederick Zimmermann (United States of America), Jun 1955-circa 1969, New York/New York/United States of America, Loaned by Mr and Mrs Zimmermann to 'Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: a Retrospective Exhibition' at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1969
Curt Valentin Gallery (United States of America, estab. 1951, closed 1955), 1951-Jun 1955, New York/New York/United States of America, Purchased by Mr and Mrs Zimmermann, June 1955 from the 'Closing exhibition'.
Buchholz Gallery (United States of America, estab. 1937, closed 1951), 1950-1951, New York/New York/United States of America, by 1950, loaned by Buchholz Gallery to 'Kirchner: first American retrospective exhibition of oils, watercolours, prints' at the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 8 December 1950 - 12 January 1951.
Lothar-Günther Buchheim (Germany, b.1918, d.2007), post 1918, Feldafing/Germany, dates unknown, Lothar-Gunther Buchheim purchased most of his collection in the early post war years. Letters sent 29 October 2002 and 25 March 2003 to the Buchheim Museum asking for information on Lothar-Gunther Buchheim's collection. No response.
Galerie Ludwig Schames (Germany), 1916, Frankfurt am Main/Germany
Bibliography
Exhibition catalogue; Kirchner and the Berlin Street; Deborah Wye; 2009, 77, 78 (colour illus.), 'Kirchner's working process: The street scenes' pg.67-81, fig.35
Periodical; Look; Jill Sykes (Australia); Sep 2004, 14 (colour illus.), 'Foundation building' by Michael Wardell, pg.14-17
Exhibition catalogue; Ernst Ludwig Kirchner; Museo d'Arte Moderna della Città di Lugano (Switzerland); 2000, cover (colour illus.), 56, 57 (colour illus.), 72, 'Eine Kritische Betrachtung der Gesellschaft im Zerfall' by Rudy Chiappini, pg. 43-62; 'Inszenierte Wirklichkeit - Realität der Inszenierung' by Carla Schulz-Hoffman, pg. 63-90, cat.no. 35
General/Book; Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook; Bruce James (Australia), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1999, 55 (colour illus.), 'Western Collection: Paintings and Sculpture' by Bruce James, pg. 17-77.
Book; Art Investigator; Susan Lee; 1998, 179 (colour illus.), 'New Visions' - German Expressionism: Die Brücke', pg. 178-79.
Annual report; Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Annual Report 1997; Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1997, 11 (colour illus.)
Exhibition catalogue; German Expressionism: Art and Society; Stephanie Barron, Wolf-Dieter Dube; 1997, 170, 171 (colour illus.), cat.no. 19
General/Book; The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections; Ewen McDonald (Australia); 1994, 148, 149 (colour illus.), 'The Western Heritage, Renaissance to Twentieth Century' by Renée Free, pg. 108-172.
Exhibition catalogue; Great gifts, great patrons: an exhibition celebrating private patronage of the Gallery; Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874); 1994, no catalogue numbers
Exhibition catalogue; German Expressionism: The Colours of Desire; Lorenz Dittmann (Germany), Magdalena Moeller (Germany), Armin Zweite (Germany), Hubertus Froning (Germany); Oct 1989, 62 (colour illus.), cat.no. 23
General/Book; Art Gallery of New South Wales Handbook; Annabel Davie; 1988, 52, 53 (colour illus.), 'European' by Renée Free, pg. 36-56
Exhibition catalogue; Five years on: a selection of acquisitions 1981-1986; Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874); 1986, cover (illus.), cat.no. 138
Book; Portrait of a Gallery; Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940), Jan Meek (Australia); 1984, 12, 13 (colour illus.), 'The Foundation', pg. 12-13.
Scholarly/Book; Ernst Ludwig Kirchner; Donald Gordon; 1968, 90, 92, 106, 317 (illus.), 'Berlin' pg.90-106, plate 53, cat.no. 356
Book; German Art in the 20th Century; Franz Roh (Germany, b.1890, d.1965); 1968, 54 (illus.), as 'Feldafing', Collection Buchheim
Exhibition catalogue; Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: A Retrospective Exhibition; Donald Gordon; 1968, 72 (illus.), cat.no. 39
Book; Die Künstlergemeinschaft "Brücke"; Lothar-Günther Buchheim (Germany, b.1918, d.2007); 1956, (illus.), fig.167
Exhibition catalogue; Closing Exhibition; Curt Valentin Gallery (United States of America, estab. 1951, closed 1955); 1955, (illus.), cat.no. 52, as 'Bathers'
Exhibition catalogue; Kirchner; Curt Valentin Gallery (United States of America, estab. 1951, closed 1955); 1952, (illus.), cat.no. 7, as 'Bathers'
Exhibition catalogue; Lehmbruck and his contemporaries; Curt Valentin Gallery (United States of America, estab. 1951, closed 1955); 1951, cat.no. 22, as 'Bathers'
Exhibition catalogue; Kirchner; Busch-Reisinger Museum (United States of America); 1950, no catalogue numbers, titled 'Bathers'
Book; Primitivism in Modern Painting; Robert Goldwater (United States of America, b.1907, d.1973); 1938, fig.13
Exhibition venue
Title: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Venue: Museo d'Arte Moderna della Città di Lugano
Opening: 19 Mar 2000
Closing: 02 Jul 2000
Notes: cat.no. 35
Title: German Expressionism: Art and Society
Venue: Palazzo Grassi S.p.a.
Opening: 06 Sep 1997
Closing: 11 Jan 1998
Notes: cat.no. 19
Title: Great gifts, great patrons
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 17 Aug 1994
Closing: 19 Oct 1994
Title: German Expressionism: The Colours of Desire
Venue: National Gallery of Victoria [St Kilda Road]
Opening: 20 Dec 1989
Closing: 18 Feb 1990
Curator: Museum Folkwang, Essen
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 11 Oct 1989
Closing: 10 Dec 1989
Curator: Museum Folkwang, Essen
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Title: Five years on: a selection of acquisitions 1981-1986
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 26 Sep 1986
Closing: 23 Nov 1986
Title: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: A retrospective exhibition
Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Opening: 20 Mar 1969
Closing: 27 Apr 1969
Notes: loaned by Mr and Mrs Zimmerman
Title: Closing Exhibition
Venue: Curt Valentin Gallery
Opening: 08 Jun 1955
Closing: Jun 1955
Notes: cat.no. 52, titled 'Bathers'
Title: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Venue: Curt Valentin Gallery
Opening: 16 Apr 1952
Closing: 10 May 1952
Notes: cat.no. 7, titled 'Bathers'
Title: Lehmbruck and his contemporaries
Venue: Curt Valentin Gallery
Opening: 24 Sep 1951
Closing: 13 Oct 1951
Notes: cat.no. 22 as 'Bathers'
Title: Kirchner: First American retrospective exhibition of oils, watercolours, prints
Venue: Busch-Reisinger Museum
Opening: 08 Dec 1950
Closing: 12 Jan 1951
Notes: titled 'Bathers', lent by Buchholz Gallery
Title: Kirchner
Venue: Galerie Ludwig Schames
Opening: Oct 1916
Closing: Oct 1916
Notes: No. 10
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