Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive
The Kirchner Archive in Wichtrach consists of a documentation of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's complete works, built up since 1979, and a library on Kirchner's work, Expressionism, Modern Art and general art history.
Kirchner's work comprises a total of about 25,000 - 30.000 works: about 12,000 sketchbook pages, about 10,000 drawings, pastels and watercolors, about 1,500 paintings (including the backs) and about 2,100 prints.
In the archive, information on every work by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is documented and literature on his work is systematically collected. The documentation of the complete works in the archive has the following sections: Paintings, sculpture, drawings, pastels and watercolors, prints, photography, textiles based on his designs, writings of the artist, texts, letters, bibliography.
Information and support of publications and exhibitions of the work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Clarification of all authenticity issues concerning the work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
ConSTRUCTION AND TASKS OF THE ERNST LUDWIG KIRCHNER ARCHIVES
Introduction to the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive
The Kirchner Archive in Wichtrach consists of a documentation on the complete works of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, built up since 1979, and a library on the work of Kirchner, on Expressionism, on Modern Art and on general art history. Work on the documentation was begun in 1979 on the occasion of the publication of "E. L. Kirchner - Zeichnungen" by Belser-Verlag, Stuttgart.
The basis for this was the documentation of Kirchner's works, which had been compiled in the Stuttgart Kunstkabinett until 1962 and by Roman Norbert Ketterer and Wenzel Nachbaur in Campione until 1979. An inventory - as one might assume - of the recording of the estate in the Basel Kunstmuseum 1946-1954 does not exist, at least it is not preserved there. The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner archive on his complete works with us can be found in the relevant directories, but it is a private archive and therefore only accessible by appointment.
Every work by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner that has come to our attention has a dossier in the archive. In addition, the library collects literature on Kirchner and Expressionism for completeness. Missing titles - mainly from the period before 1945 - are constantly being added or supplemented in copies. All literature newly added to the library is searched for works by Kirchner and these are then documented in the respective dossiers. This also applies to all works that have ever been offered for sale or are new. The resulting lead sheets for the newly added literature titles are collected and form the basis for the bibliography on Kirchner to be continued following Bolliger.
Kirchner's oeuvre comprises a total of about 25,000 - 30,000 works: about 12,000 sketchbook sheets, about 10,000 drawings, pastels and watercolors, about 1,500 paintings (including the backs) and about 2,100 prints, for which it must be taken into account that the few prints in each case are mostly unique, since they differ greatly from one another in terms of plate and printing condition, inking and paper, and thus each requires an individual description. (When calculating the total work, one must by no means assume only the figures of the original holdings in the estate, since Kirchner sold considerably more during his lifetime than is generally assumed. For example, the collection of Dr. Bauer included 229 drawings, pastels and watercolors; the collection Gervais at least 500, etc.).
Numerous international exhibitions on Kirchner and Expressionism have been developed with the help of the archive since the 1980s. It offers not only an overview of the entire oeuvre but also the highest possible number of good and, above all, color illustrations. It is only through this that the significance of a work otherwise known only through a small-format black and white illustration can often be grasped and this can be borrowed as a good alternative to a desired work that may not be available.
The Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive in Wichtrach is in constant cooperation with the archive of the Kirchner Museum Davos.
Time-consuming but necessary work is done by the archive in connection with exhibitions: The research of locations and the mediation of loan requests to private collectors, which are forwarded with an accompanying letter. The selection of exhibits, however, is always decided by the exhibiting institute. Only upon request does the archive mediate or make alternative suggestions in the case of cancellations.
In order to divide up the work and to avoid too much competition between individual exhibitions with regard to loans, the archive keeps a constantly updated list of all planned exhibitions on Kirchner and Expressionism in order to be able to advise public institutes accordingly.
(Photo: Jens Weber, bfgest.de)
In principle, what has just been said for the exhibitions also applies to the publications on Kirchner and Expressionism. For these, too, the overall view of the oeuvre is of high importance, so that the same works are not illustrated and described over and over again. This is because the most important works are often found in collections that are difficult to access and are therefore hardly known even today.
The dossiers on the individual works by Kirchner in the documentation also provide the complete bibliographical details of each work, and the respective books or essays are located in the same room in the library. This means an enormous simplification of work for everyone working in the archive. For organizational reasons, however, this possibility can only be given to a few scholars. (So far the principle "from dissertation upwards" has been established.) As with regard to exhibitions the mediation of the works, so with regard to publications the archive has the task of mediating photo templates from the owners of the works. The archive can provide its own photos only to a limited extent, namely only in relation to the holdings of the gallery and partly of the estate. The photo archive Bolliger-Ketterer, which is kept here, provides good prints of the photos that Kirchner himself took. In the meantime, the Kirchner Museum Davos also provides these - partly in better quality - namely of the photographs of which the negatives are preserved there.
Exemplary the publication Unzertrennlich. Frames and Pictures of the Brücke Artists, ed. by Werner Murrer, Lisa Marei Schmidt & Daniel J. Schreiber, Koenig Books London, 2020.
The reason for setting up the documentation of the complete works in its present form was a sudden uncertainty regarding the assessment of authenticity questions around 1980. It became apparent at that time that the clarification of the pending authenticity questions was simply no longer possible with the help of memory alone, no matter how intensive the knowledge of the work. It was necessary to have the largest possible number of constantly available comparative examples, i.e. as many sorted illustrations as possible. Thus, first of all, a documentation was created, especially of the uncatalogued drawings, pastels and watercolors. This eventually led to the archive of the complete works, with the task of incorporating all the information that emerged about each work.
Since then, questions of authenticity have been dealt with with the help of all available comparative examples and other information. In cases of doubt, in cooperation with other Kirchner experts. The archive does not only work on questions of authenticity upon request, but also takes active action in cases of suspicion. The latter, of course, has not only won the archive friends, as in general the strictly enforced principle: "In case of doubt against the accused" (because here we are dealing with things not people). Photo certificates are issued only after presentation of the original work in the archive - for at least one week.
Inquirers will be sent information about this. Comprehensive information will be provided without presentation of the original in cases that are beyond doubt. Inquirers must send all information in writing and send the work in question to the Archives, do not bring, telephone and personal conversations should be limited to the absolute minimum to avoid misunderstandings. Conversely, it is imperative and self-evident that, in this respect, the archive activity is separate from the gallery activity, which, after all, is also responsible for the estate in terms of trade. In other words, a work whose authenticity is or was under discussion is taboo for the gallery.
This strategy has had the effect that - in contrast to many other artists of his generation and also of the other Expressionists (not to mention some modern artists of the non-German-speaking world) - the authenticity issues with Kirchner can be regarded as certain, according to human judgement.
Of course, the Kirchner forgeries and false attributions are also archived, organized by subject.
Expert opinion
1) Expert opinion: Information without sending the work
For any information, we first require a good photograph, also of the reverse side (a photocopy will suffice there), a precise description of the work and all known details, including the provenance.
A good photograph is an important prerequisite for the publication of the work in the new catalogs of works or their supplements.
Cf. exemplary front and back of a drawing by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner entitled "Zwei Badende auf Fehmarn (1912).
The back shows the estate stamp and contains other important information on the provenance and authenticity of the drawing.
2) Expert opinion: Photo expertise with sending of the work
For photo-expertises we always need a photograph beforehand, then - after consultation with us - the work in the original here in our archive for some time.
Personal delivery of the work to be examined is not accepted.
Send your work of art(indispensable: Works on paper only unframed and with freely accessible back side) with a pro forma invoice issued by you and addressed to us with the note "For examination" as well as two photographs on paper in the format 18 x 24 cm by your or our transport company.
After our examinations you will receive your work of artback immediately by the same way. We ask you to arrange the insurance of the outward and return transport as well as the intermediate stay here yourself. All transports and stopovers at your risk and at your expense.
Möbel Transport AG Basel
attn. Attn: Galerie Henze & Ketterer
Genuastrasse 14
CH-4142 Münchenstein
Responsible: Mr. Daniel Grütter
Phone: +41 61 335 33 14
Fax: +41 61 331 80 47
E-mail: daniel.gruetter@moebel-transport.com
For photo-expertise we always need a photograph beforehand, then - after consultation with us - the work in the original here with us in the archive for some time.
Personal delivery of the work to be examined is not accepted.
Send your artwork (indispensable: Works on paper only unframed and with freely accessible backside) with a pro-forma invoice issued by you and addressed to us with the note "For appraisal" as well as two photographs on paper in the format 18 x 24 cm to your foreign forwarding agent.
This forwarding agent carries out the provisional export from the EU (so that you receive your work back without EUST debit) and sends it to our transport company.
Our transport company carries out the provisional import into Switzerland and sends us your work of art for appraisal. After this, it will be returned to you immediately in the same way. We ask you to arrange for the insurance of the outward and return transport as well as the interim stay in the archive yourself. All transports and stopovers are at your risk and expense.
Möbel Transport AG Basel
attn. Attn: Galerie Henze & Ketterer
Genuastrasse 14
CH-4142 Münchenstein
Responsible: Mr. Daniel Grütter
Phone: +41 61 335 33 14
Fax: +41 61 331 80 47
E-mail: daniel.gruetter@moebel-transport.com
