Private Collection, Rheinland (acquired by 1956)
Galerie Änne Abels, Cologne
Acquired by the present owner in 1958

Cappenberg, Schloss Cappenberg, Max Pechstein. Eine Ausstellung des Kreises Unna, 1989, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Dorflandschaft auf Fehmarn)
Berlin, Brücke Museum & Tübingen, Kunsthalle, Max Pechstein. Sein malerisches Werk, 1996-97, no. 113, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Weisser Giebel)

Jürgen Schilling, Max Pechstein, Bönen, 1989, illustrated in colour p. 128
Magdalena M. Moeller, Max Pechstein. Sein malerisches Werk, Munich, 1996, no. 113, illustrated in colour n.p. (titled Weisser Giebel (Dorflandschaft - Nidden))
Aya Soika, Max Pechstein. Das Werkverzeichnis der Ölgemälde, vol. II, Munich, 2011, no. 1919/77, illustrated p. 169

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals a few scattered spots of old retouching, predominantly to the sky, some of which have discoloured and could be reduced and improved by a professional restorer. There are a few very fine lines of old craquelure in places. The canvas is gently undulating and has frayed slightly at the lower right corner. This work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1919-20, Dorflandschaft is an evocative example of Max Pechstein’s celebrated depictions of Nidden. Around the turn of the century, Nidden had become a regular village of pilgrimage for artists who sought its unspoiled landscape and it was soon referred to as the Barbizon of the Curonian Spit. Located on the Baltic Sea, the small fishing village became the artist’s Nordic paradise. Max Pechstein first visited Nidden in the summer of 1909 and fell for its natural, preindustrial landscape, which allowed him to experience perfect harmony with the countryside. This newly found freedom led him to explore his creativity without inhibitions and develop his own, mature style.

Pechstein returned to Nidden on three occasions, first in 1912, again in 1919 following his trip to the South Seas and his service during World War I, and finally in 1920. The experience of World War I affected the artist deeply and he was surprised to find that Nidden had remained largely unaffected. Pechstein reports in his memoirs how the 'untethered freedom that still existed there [in Nidden] after all' helped him to return to his work, at that point 'somewhat clumsy, hesitant, and angular in form' and to become agile and expressive again (quoted in Aya Soika, Op. Cit., vol. I, p. 38).

The colourful palette of the present work is a wonderful testament to the artist’s newly-found creativity and lust for life. He wrote to his friend Paul Fechter from Nidden: ‘I drown everything in colour, my brain is filled only with paintings, and the idea of what to paint drives me from one place to the other, already at eight in the evening I fall into bed dead tired, and yet I have still got mountains [of work] to deal with, if it were possible I would have to spend three years here without interruption and work like a horse to finish it at some point’ (quoted in Bernhard Fulda & Aya Soika, Max Pechstein: The Rise and Fall of Expressionism, Berlin, 2012, p. 229).