Auktion: 348 / Wertvolle Bücher am 17./18.11.2008 in Hamburg Lot 1439

Oskar Kokoschka - 1 masch. Brief m. U. o. J.


1439
Oskar Kokoschka
1 masch. Brief m. U. o. J., 1938.
Schätzung:
€ 500
Ergebnis:
€ 1.260

(inkl. Käuferaufgeld)
Kokoschka, Oskar, Maler, 1886-1980. Masch. Brief m. U. und eigh. Korrektur.O. O. u. D. [Um 1938]. 3 S. 4to.
Langer und enragierter Brief in englischer Sprache an das Komitee der Ausstellung Twentieth Century German Art in London. Die Ausstellung fand im Juli 1938 in den Räumen der New Burlington Galleries statt und zeigte Werke der in Deutschland als "entartet" verfemten Künstler, darunter auch Bilder von Kokoschka. - In dem offensichtlich vor Ausstellungsbeginn geschriebenen Brief bedauert er, daß die ursprüngliche Idee der Ausstellung mit deren neuem Programm entschärft würde.

"... The new program, which I have just received from you, departs from the idea of taking action in defence of the 'under dog' as you express it so caustically in English, and has taken up a policy of 'fair play' ... The 'under dog' instead of being provided with a forum in which to state his case, as promised in your original circular, would merely serve as a dummy so to say and give the impression in countries other than Germany, that it was merely a queston of a competition to illustrate two differing points of views, which of course would presuppose a certain impartiality on both sides. Such an impartiality has however, as one well knows, been entirely set aside by the physical and political force of that ideology, to which this group of artists acknowledges its adherence ..." - "... if these artists should arrive from Germany without the necessary authorizations - it would not conform with my sense of honour as an artist and I may say with my personal sense of honour to endeavour to avoid this struggle with my own conscience, and I consequently must beg you to delete my name from the list of German artists who are exhibiting and also not to borrow paintings from private collections, as I will not be represented in this exhibition ..."

Zahlreiche Bilder Kokoschkas wurden in der NS-Propaganda-Ausstellung Entartete Kunst gezeigt. Mehr als 400 seiner Werke wurden von den Nationalsozialisten beschlagnahmt. - Oberrand mit Klammerspur.




1439
Oskar Kokoschka
1 masch. Brief m. U. o. J., 1938.
Schätzung:
€ 500
Ergebnis:
€ 1.260

(inkl. Käuferaufgeld)