Two Dancers with a Cat

1913

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Associated Names
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Artist, German, 1880 - 1938

The image depicts bold black lines forming angular and fluid shapes that suggest two human-like figures standing side by side. The lines are heavily shaded and cross-hatched, creating movement and energy. One figure has bent legs while the other stands upright. To the left, there is a smaller grouping of lines resembling a cat-like creature with pointed ears and a long, curved tail. The abstract composition alludes to a bustling theatrical scene or lively gathering with hints of costumes and dynamic poses.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    reed pen and black ink on brown wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 43.7 x 33.1 cm (17 3/16 x 13 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.92.122

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

E.L. Kirchner estate, Basel (Lugt 1570b). (Worthington Gallery, Inc, Chicago). (Jörg Maass Kunsthandel, Berlin); Ruth Kainen, Washington, D.C., purchased February 28, 2008; Gift to NGA, 2012.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1980

  • Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938 : A Tribute in Celebration of the Artist's Centennial Year. Worthington Gallery, Chicago, 1980, no. 16 (repro.).

2014

  • Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2014.

Inscriptions

bottom left verso by later hand in graphite: K 4935; 4567 / E 2280; bottom center verso by later hand in graphite: 197

Wikidata ID

Q64559849

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