Frau mit Hund I (Primary Title)
Woman with Dog I (Translation)
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German, 1880 - 1938 (Artist)
Kirchner was a leading member of the expressionist group Die Brücke (The Bridge), which was active in early 20thcentury Germany. His major preoccupation during that time was the urban milieu and the frenetic residents of Dresden and later Berlin.Woman with Dog 1 shows a modern young Berlin woman dressed in a flamboyant hat and luxurious furlined jacket. She proudly includes her furry and precocious friend in her portrait. The artist and sitter leave little doubt that the dog seated in the woman’s lap is both a treasured companion and an important part of her fashionable identity.
"Domestic, Wild, Divine: Artists Look at Animals" 11/21/2012 - 09/04/2013
German Expressionist Art: Selections from the Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection, Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Jan. 13 - Mar. 8, 1987, no. 116.
[1] Ludwig and Rosy Fischer were art collectors in Frankfurt, Germany, who primarily collected contemporary German art between 1905 and 1925 at their home on Mendelssohnstrasse 73, Frankfurt am Main. Ludwig Fischer died on April 25, 1922. The Fischers acquired many of their works from the Ludwig Schames Gallery. Kirchner showed in 1916, 1919, 1920, and 1921 at Schames; however, due to lack of illustrations in the sales catalogues, and generalized titles, it is difficult to determine an exact date of acquisition.
Rosy died on February 27, 1926, while traveling in North Africa. (See Brandt, Fredrick R. German Expressionist Art: Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection, Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1987, pp. 1 - 11).
[2] In 1926, the Fischer collection was divided equally between Ludwig and Rosy Fischer's sons, Max Fischer (1893-1954) and Ernst Fischer (1896 – 1981). In 1934, Ernst and Anne Fischer fled Germany to the United States with their part of the collection, first to Rochester, New York and then settled in Richmond, Virginia in 1935. (See Brandt, 1987, pp. 1 -11.)
[3] Information in VMFA Curatorial and Registration files.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
