Feb 20 at 10:30 AM - Sale 2695 -

Sale 2695 - Lot 252

Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000

PETER BEHRENS (1868-1940)

[DER KUSS]. 1898.

14¼x10¾ inches, 36¼x27½ cm. Genossenschaft Pan GmbH, Berlin.
Condition A: minor pencil notations at lower margin. Printed on Japan. Hinged to mat. Framed.

A member of the Munich Secession Movement and a founder of the Darmstadt Künstlerkolonie (1901), Behrens was a key figure in the birth of graphic design in Germany, and also a driving force in the founding of the Werkbund, where industry and design came together. Pan was a sophisticated, high-end magazine that became the forum for much of the important literature of the period. Founded by Julius Bierbauen and Julius Maier-Graefe, it was published for five years, between 1895 and 1900. It was the only magazine to include fine-art quality original prints by young, promising artists. Volume IV, number 2, contained this six-color woodcut by Behrens. An icon of Jugendstil, this image displays Behrens' exquisite control of curves and his exceptional harmony of colors. It was also a very daring piece in Puritanical Germany.
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