Wednesday 18 May 2016

"Monogrammist FW": could this be an early work by Fritz Wingen?

Sigalas, from Germany, sells on 31 May 2016 (as lot 260) a "Monogrammist FW, 1917" Adam and Eve, estimated at 150 Euro.

The only German Expressionist painter of the period who seems to match the monogram and subject matter is Fritz Wingen, a largely forgotten painter from Kempen.

Gottfried "Fritz" Wingen was born in 1889 and started working as an artist from an early age, first in his spare time while working as a teacher (from 1909 on), and later (from about 1920) as a full-time artist. He not only painted, but also worked as a sculptor and composer of classical music. He fought in the First World War and was wounded in 1915. Deeply religious, he worked mainly for churches and the like, but as an otherwise modern and freethinking artist he often clashed with the more conservative parts of (religious) society. Once the Nazis came to power, his position became untenable (with a "Berufsverbot" as early as 1933), and he was sent to prison for ten months in 1939. In 1942 he again was imprisoned as an enemy of the state and he died in a camp in 1944; likely in the gas chambers.

He was set to be included in the Catholic Martyrologium in the 1990s, but was removed from the list because he had children out of wedlock. Which apparently was more important than being willing to die as an opponent of Hitler and the Nazis. But I digress.

He was largely forgotten after the war, but in 2005 an exhibition of 100 works with accompanying book was organised in his hometown Kempen, where a street is named after him. Still, it is very hard to find any work by him online, and he doesn't appear in major sales lists (one view of Naples in 2010, and one view of Palermo in 2013).

The above is a painting by him from 1926, sold for 570 Euro.

The work for sale seems to match the description of the artist and his work perfectly. It is a deeply religious work which will have offended (and would still offend) many of the more conservative believers, but which is powerful and modern. It has a good size (86 by 75cm). It is clearly undervalued and should easily fetch 1,000 Euro to 2,000 Euro. A much better painting than anything Hitler ever produced, and by a person deserving more recognition for his art and his life.

It would be great if anyone familiar with the works of Wingen (and certainly his early works) could confirm that this is indeed by him. It's a good painting in any case, but it's so much better if one can put a name to a work of art.

UPDATE: it apparently sold for 1,300 Euro, good to see this get the monetary recognition it deserves

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