''Dämmernde Stadt'' (''City in Twilight'' is an oil painting by

Egon Schiele Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele (; 12 June 1890 – 31 October 1918) was an Austrian Expressionist painter. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and for the many self-portraits the artist produced, including nude self-portr ...

, a

townscape In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Townscape'' is ...

of Krumau (today: Český Krumlov), completed in 1913. It also known as ''Die kleine Stadt II'' (The small town). It was owned until 1930 by Elsa Koditschek, a Jew who survived the Holocaust hidden in Vienna. The painting was taken from her during the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. It was auctioned in 1950 at the

Dorotheum The Dorotheum () is one of the world's oldest auction houses and is the largest auction house of art items in Continental Europe. Established by Emperor Joseph I in 1707, it has its headquarters in Vienna on the Dorotheergasse and branches in o ...

in Vienna, and bought by a private collector. In 2018, it was auctioned in New York in an act of voluntary

restitution The law of restitution is the law of gains-based recovery, in which a court orders the defendant to ''give up'' their gains to the claimant. It should be contrasted with the law of compensation, the law of loss-based recovery, in which a court o ...

, and the proceeds were shared by the descendants of both owners.

History

Townscapes formed a large part of Schiele's work, who is known for

nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

s and self-portraits. He made them especially during his time in Krumau (today: Český Krumlov), where his mother Marie was born. The picturesque historic town (''Altstadt'') on both banks of the Moldau is now a UNESCO world heritage site. Schiele lived there with his muse and later partner

Wally Neuzil Walburga "Wally" Neuzil (19 August 1894 – 25 December 1917) was an Austrian nurse who was the lover and muse of the artist Egon Schiele between 1911 and 1915. Early life Neuzil was born in Tattendorf, Lower Austria in 1894, the second child ...

in May to December 1910, and in May and June 1911. He had to leave because of his relationship to Wally, and due to reports about painting young nude models. He returned for short visits, then staying in guest houses.Renata Hrabalová:
Egon Schiele und Krumau
', České Budějovice 2014 He completed, signed and dated ''Dämmernde Stadt'' in 1913. It is also known as ''Die kleine Stadt II'' and ''Die kleine Stadt III''. The painting was shown at exhibitions the same year, in Budapest in March, and at two exhibitions in Munich. Hubert Jung from Vienna bought ''Dämmernde Stadt'' in 1913 for 400

kronen Kronen Brauerei, also known as Private Brewery Dortmund Kronen, was one of the oldest brewery, breweries in Westphalia and has its headquarters at the Old Market in Dortmund. The company was able to look back on more than 550 years of brewing ...

, possibly in connection to the Budapest exhibition, together with ''Die kleine Stadt III'' for the same price. , a Jewish widow in Vienna, owned the painting from 1928. It was taken from her during the

. She survived the Holocaust hidden in Vienna. The painting was auctioned in 1950 at the

in Vienna, and was bought by the private art collector Viktor Fogarassy in good faith. In 2018, in a voluntary act of private

, it was auctioned by Sotheby's, with the proceeds to be shared by the descendants of both owners. It was first presented in London, and then auctioned in New York, selling for US$24.57million (€21.81million) against an estimate of $18million.

References

External links

''Dämmernde Stadt'' — by Egon Schiele
medium.com 3 April 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dammernde Stadt Paintings by Egon Schiele Landscape paintings 1913 paintings Český Krumlov