Six Dancers (Translation)
Sechs Tanzerinnen (Primary Title)
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German, 1880 - 1938 (Artist)
By painting both the skin and costume of each of these dancers the same intense mauve color, Kirchner rendered them doll-like. Their stiff, awkward poses further this impression, suggesting that Kirchner was as interested in staging the overall rhythm and harmony of the picture as in the figures themselves. Kirchner’s attention to patterning, coupled with his bright palette, parallels the art of Matisse and the Fauvists, while the distinctive brushwork and flattened space recall the work of Cézanne.
Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection, Bequest of Anne R. Fischer
"Ernst Ludwig Kirchner", Neue Galerie, NY, October 3, 2019 - January 13, 2020
"Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig und Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main," Jewish Museum,
Frankfurt, Aug. 29-Oct. 28, 1990, Cat. 27, (LS 154).
"German Expressionist Art: Selections from the Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection," VMFA, Jan. 12-March 8, 1987, cat. 112.
"German Expressionism", Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio, February 10 – March 9, 1961, no 32.
"German Expressionism", Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, Norfolk, Virginia, November 6 – December 11, 1960, no. 23.
The North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, January – February, 1958, no. 16 (ill.)
Galerie Ludwig Schames, Frankfurt, February – March, 1919, cat. 32. (or possibly cat. 25 ?)
"Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig und Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main," Jewish Museum,
Frankfurt, Aug. 29-Oct. 28, 1990, Cat. 27, (LS 154).
"German Expressionist Art: Selections from the Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection," VMFA, Jan. 12-March 8, 1987, cat. 112.
"German Expressionism", Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio, February 10 – March 9, 1961, no 32.
"German Expressionism", Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, Norfolk, Virginia, November 6 – December 11, 1960, no. 23.
The North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, January – February, 1958, no. 16 (ill.)
Galerie Ludwig Schames, Frankfurt, February – March, 1919, cat. 32. (or possibly cat. 25 ?)
Price, Renée, Ronald S. Lauder, Nelson Blitz, Sharon Jordan, Jill Lloyd-Peppiatt, Sherwin Simmons, and Janis Staggs. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. München: Prestel, 2019. (no. 10, p. 143)
"Acquisition of the Year," Apollo, Dec. 2009, p. 45, color ills. pp. 45 and title page.
Karen Newton, "Lush Life. An insider’s guide to Richmond in July," Belle, July 2010 p. 8, color ill.
Heuberger, Georg, Ed. Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig und Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main. München: Prestel, 1990, Cat. 27, p. 65 (illus.), p. 161 (LS 154).
German Expressionist Art: The Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection. VMFA, Seattle and London: University of
Washington Press, 1987, p. 40 (color illus.), cat. 112, p. 52.
Donald E. Gordon. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1968, p.293, cat. 193 (illus.).
Ausstellung von Germälden von E.L. Kirchner. Frankfurt: Ludwig Schames, 1919, cat. 32.
"Acquisition of the Year," Apollo, Dec. 2009, p. 45, color ills. pp. 45 and title page.
Karen Newton, "Lush Life. An insider’s guide to Richmond in July," Belle, July 2010 p. 8, color ill.
Heuberger, Georg, Ed. Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig und Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main. München: Prestel, 1990, Cat. 27, p. 65 (illus.), p. 161 (LS 154).
German Expressionist Art: The Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection. VMFA, Seattle and London: University of
Washington Press, 1987, p. 40 (color illus.), cat. 112, p. 52.
Donald E. Gordon. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1968, p.293, cat. 193 (illus.).
Ausstellung von Germälden von E.L. Kirchner. Frankfurt: Ludwig Schames, 1919, cat. 32.
By 1919 (Galerie Ludwig Schames), Frankfurt. [1] By 1922, Ludwig Fischer [1860-1922] and Rosy Fischer [1869-1926], Frankfurt am Main, Germany; [2] Ernst Fischer [1896-1981] and Anne Fischer [1902-2008], Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Rochester, NY, USA, Richmond, VA, by inheritance; [3] May 2009, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond, by bequest of Anne R. Fischer, 2009. [4]
[1] In Cordula Frowein’s “Liste der Werke aus der Sammlung Fischer” found in Heuberger, Georg, Ed. Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig and Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main. München: Prestel, 1990, p. 161, the painting is cited as Number 32 in Ludwig Schames 1919 catalogue. In Donald Gordon’s 1968 catalogue raisonné of Kirchner’s work, it is also cited as cat. 32 in the 1919 catalogue.
See Ausstellung von Germälden von E.L. Kirchner. Frankfurt: Ludwig Schames, 1919, cat. 32 or cat. 25. Beyond titles, there are no dates, dimensions or images given for these particular works in the catalogue. Gordon and Frowein each cite cat. 32 in their entries for Six Dancers, which is titled Rosa Artisenparade (Pink Artisan Parade). However, Cat. 25 is titled: Tänzerinnen (Dancers), which matches the title, Tänzerinnen, for what is believed to be the same painting on Rosy Fischer's 1925 list of works in her collection. See Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Archiv Grohmann: https://www.staatsgalerie.de/en/g/collection/digital-collection/einzelansicht/sgs/werk/einzelansicht/EAC84DD3DBAA4697B69229D5B8903B96.html
[2] Ludwig and Rosy Fischer were art collectors in Frankfurt, Germany, who collected German Expressionism between 1905 and 1925. By the time of Ludwig's death in 1922, it was a collection of about 500 works. It is likely that the Fischers acquired this work directly from Schames.
Rosy Fischer founded an art gallery in her home in November of 1923. The gallery was closed in 1925. She died in 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).
[3] In 1926, the Fischer collection was divided and inherited by Ludwig and Rosy Fischer's sons, Max Fischer (1893-1954) and Ernst Fischer (1896 – 1981). (See Brandt, 1987, pp. 1 -11.)
[4] Information in VMFA Curatorial and Registration files.
[1] In Cordula Frowein’s “Liste der Werke aus der Sammlung Fischer” found in Heuberger, Georg, Ed. Expressionismus und Exil: Die Sammlung Ludwig and Rosy Fischer, Frankfurt am Main. München: Prestel, 1990, p. 161, the painting is cited as Number 32 in Ludwig Schames 1919 catalogue. In Donald Gordon’s 1968 catalogue raisonné of Kirchner’s work, it is also cited as cat. 32 in the 1919 catalogue.
See Ausstellung von Germälden von E.L. Kirchner. Frankfurt: Ludwig Schames, 1919, cat. 32 or cat. 25. Beyond titles, there are no dates, dimensions or images given for these particular works in the catalogue. Gordon and Frowein each cite cat. 32 in their entries for Six Dancers, which is titled Rosa Artisenparade (Pink Artisan Parade). However, Cat. 25 is titled: Tänzerinnen (Dancers), which matches the title, Tänzerinnen, for what is believed to be the same painting on Rosy Fischer's 1925 list of works in her collection. See Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Archiv Grohmann: https://www.staatsgalerie.de/en/g/collection/digital-collection/einzelansicht/sgs/werk/einzelansicht/EAC84DD3DBAA4697B69229D5B8903B96.html
[2] Ludwig and Rosy Fischer were art collectors in Frankfurt, Germany, who collected German Expressionism between 1905 and 1925. By the time of Ludwig's death in 1922, it was a collection of about 500 works. It is likely that the Fischers acquired this work directly from Schames.
Rosy Fischer founded an art gallery in her home in November of 1923. The gallery was closed in 1925. She died in 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).
[3] In 1926, the Fischer collection was divided and inherited by Ludwig and Rosy Fischer's sons, Max Fischer (1893-1954) and Ernst Fischer (1896 – 1981). (See Brandt, 1987, pp. 1 -11.)
[4] Information in VMFA Curatorial and Registration files.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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.