No.17
description
Helene Funke
(Chemnitz 1869-1957 Vienna) “At the Seaside in France”, 1908/1910, signed Paris Helene Funke, inscribed by the artist on the reverse Am Meer in Frankreich H. Funke, stamped Dieses Kunstwerk darf bis zum 5. IV. 1935 (inserted in handwriting) nicht verkauft werden Ausstellungsleitung Kunst ins Volk, oil on canvas, 60 x 73 cm, framed, (K)
Provenance: private property, Vienna
It is remarkable that Helene Funke is mentioned in none of the known accounts and memories of German artists sojourning in Paris in those years. It is only known that she was a friend of Martha Hofrichter, a painter from Vienna, and that both of them joined the Societé des Artistes Indépendants in Paris in December 1906 and exhibited at its Salon, as well as at the Salon d’Automne. All findings suggest that Helene Funke, apart from her friendship with Martha Hofrichter, wanted to be - and was - as independent and autonomous as possible. Reports about that period and about Funke’s relationship to other artists have not yet been substantiated. It is said that she not only knew Henri Mattise, who was of the same age, but was also a friend of his. However, this is not confirmed by the latter’s biographer, Hilary. Since Helene Funke exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants - an event staged by the Fauves and Henri Matisse and competing with the traditional Salon d’Automne - in 1907, 1910, and 1911, it can only be assumed that Funke was acquainted with them. However, evidence confirming closer contacts or friendships is lacking. Paintings by her from the Mediterranean and Brittany prove that she did not only live in Paris. Later on, in the 1920s, “filled with yearning” she painted “landscapes from the South” in her studio in Vienna, as she could no longer go there for lack of money. It is a fact that she lived in Paris for a long time and that she returned there time and again until 1913. Peter Funke, Helene Funke, Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz 2007, p. 30
estimate €13.000,- to €18.000,-
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