Female Nude

1908

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Associated Names
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Artist, German, 1880 - 1938

The image shows an abstract depiction of a nude person seated, with their body turned away from the viewer. We can see their back and part of their profile. The person's head is turned to one side, chin tucked towards their shoulder, and no distinct facial features are visible. The hair is short and styled closely aligned with the contour of the head. The person is seated in a circular basin or tub, with lines and patterns around them. Surrounding the figure, the background is patterned with linear and dot-like shapes. The composition uses a high-contrast, monochromatic style, and the lines of white are very thick on the black background.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on blotting paper

  • Credit Line

    Ruth and Jacob Kainen Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 49.4 x 38.1 cm (19 7/16 x 15 in.)
    sheet: 52.4 x 41.9 cm (20 5/8 x 16 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1987.47.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Dube 1967, Vol. (W), no. 129, State ii/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Kirchner estate (L.Supp.1570b annotated H 101). (R.M Light, Santa Barbara, CA); Ruth Cole Kainen [1922-2009], Washington, D.C. (Lugt 4740), purchased 1976; gift to NGA, 1987.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1992

  • Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1992.

2003

  • Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2003, no. 9.

2014

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

Bibliography

1967

  • Dube, Annemarie and Wolf-Dieter Dube. E.L. Kirchner; das graphische Werke. Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1967.

1985

  • NGA Kainen Coll. 1985, 2, repro. p.19.

2003

  • Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938, Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C; Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2003: 15, no. 9.

Inscriptions

lower left below image in graphite: [undeciphered); lower right below image in graphite: E L Kirchner; by unknown hand, lower right corner in graphite: 10[1?]; by later hand, lLv//in graphite: 1093/31 503-

Wikidata ID

Q74877132

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