Between Tradition and Artistic Freedom

How artists preserve tradition and develop creativity

Auction in Würzburg:
Saturday, 16. November 2024 – 2 pm (CET)

Preview:
From November 13 to 15 - from 10 am to 5 pm (CET)
And by appointment

In many cultures, artists are anchored in deep-rooted traditions while also finding ways to develop their own personal artistic style. This interplay produces works of art that both reflect the cultural values ​​of a community and express the artist's individual creativity.

The items offered cover a wide range, with an exciting selection of works in which we go from realism to idealism to abstraction. Works that remain stylistically committed to the traditional canon, but at the same time are characterized by an almost refreshing and fascinating artistic independence. 

Collectors such as Erwin Melchardt and Bruno Heimberg are committed to preserving this art and bringing the value of cultural assets into society. The works from their magnificent art collections are now being auctioned.

 

Objects from the collection of Erwin & Susanne Melchardt, Vienna

Erwin Melchardt is often referred to as an „institution“. In Vienna, almost everyone knows him, and throughout Austria, many more do. He is one of the country‘s most prominent art critics and has been the cultural editor of the „Kronen Zeitung“ for decades. His hallmark: explaining art and culture in an understandable way. For his journalistic achievements, he has received numerous awards, including the Austrian State Prize for Science Journalism in 1988 and, most recently, the Golden Merit of Vienna in 2011, in part for his role as a public educator.

Melchardt’s popularity and influence are closely intertwined with the „Kronen Zeitung“. Its publisher, Hans Dichand, himself an art collector, wanted to make art and culture a fixed part of Austria‘s largest daily newspaper—intellectual, but without being overly academic. Melchardt, with his academic background and ability to communicate complex, often obscure topics in a clear and engaging manner, was the perfect candidate. Dichand recruited him in 1971 from the newspaper „Express,“ where he had worked as a cartoonist since 1964 and as an art critic from 1968.

His nearly 40-year career at the „Kronen Zeitung“ established him as a central figure in Austrian cultural journalism. Even after retirement, he remained active. As a university lecturer, he continues to give lectures on non-European art at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. He also works as a court-appointed and certified expert in this field and holds the position of president of the „Verein der Freunde der Völkerkunde“ (Friends of Ethnology Association).

With Melchardt‘s expertise in non-European art, both as a connoisseur and a collector, the Dorotheum engaged him in 2010 to develop its „Tribal Art / Stammeskunst“ division. The Leopold Collection marked an impressive beginning. „I wanted to show that successful tribal art auctions could be held in Vienna, and we succeeded,“ Melchardt said in a 2016 interview with Ingo Barlovic on the online platform „About Africa“ [1]. And rightly so, as the following years would prove.
Born in 1944, Melchardt‘s distinctive approach as a collector and accredited expert in non-European art is marked by his nuanced and subtle approach to cultural traditions and their artistic accomplishments. His background in architecture, political science, and ethnology, as well as his research stays in South America and Africa, were the foundation of his vast knowledge. Additionally, his journalistic travels for the „Kronen Zeitung“ to conflict and disaster regions in countries such as Iran, Iraq, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan further deepened his global perspective. In addition to this he had already begun collecting during his ethnological studies.

His collection, around 4,000 objects — „counted by him, because that question kept coming up“, as he mentioned in an interview with the „Standard“ in 2010 — includes selected pieces that we are pleased to present, among them works from the private collection of Rudolf Leopold (1925-2010).
Leopold, Austria’s most renowned art collector known for his impressive holdings of works by Schiele, Klimt, Kokoschka, and Kubin, also started collecting tribal art in the 1960s, a fact not widely known to many at the time. These works were catalogued by Erwin Melchardt for the Leopold Foundation, and curated in collaboration with Ivan Ristic for the exhibition „Fremde Götter. Faszination Afrika und Ozeanien“ — a retrospective of tribal art and its influence on the avant-garde (September 23, 2016 – January 9, 2017).

Three works from the Congo featured in the current offer were part of this. One of which is an authentic ‚nkisi‘ power figure from the Songe people, featuring a black, heavily oiled sacrificial patina and encrusted surfaces (lot 390). The magical charge in its abdomen remains intact, as are the ritual paraphernalia with which it was ritually adorned.
Erwin Melchardt‘s life is deeply devoted to art and culture: as a publicist and mediator, as a highly respected consultant and conversationalist, as an ethnologist and art collector,  always engaged in dialogue and exchange with all the actors involved. The diversity of his collection, spanning works from Asia, Oceania, Australia, Africa, Europe, and ancient Egypt, only reflect his profound interest.

The auction concludes with a selection of his extensive jewellery collection which also had a widespread recognition (lots 409 to 482).

His collection of African and Asian weapons will be the subject of a separate auction next spring but to start with we present of one of the highlights: a prestigious dagger with an exquisitely crafted sheath (lot 405), a masterpiece from the Ondonga people of Namibia, renowned for their rare and beautifully designed blades.

[1] https://www.about-africa.de/diverses-unsortiertes/711-prof-erwin-melchardt-hoert-beim-dorotheum-als-experte-fuer-tribal-art-auf

 

Egypt, Erwin Melchardt

Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty

Provenance:
Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna (1816)
Dorotheum, Vienna
Private Collection
Erwin & Susanne Melchardt, Vienna (1990)

Angola, Chokwe, Erwin Melchardt

Angola, Chokwe

Provenance:
Erwin & Susanne Melchardt, Vienna

D. R. Congo, Songye, Erwin Melchardt

D. R. Congo, Songye

Provenance:
Rudolf Leopold, Vienna
Erwin & Susanne Melchardt, Vienna

Objects from the Bruno Heimberg Collection, Munich (1933-2023)

Even at first glance, the collection immediately impresses: it is clear that someone with a highly trained eye for cultural heritage and artistic skill has acquired these works. The pieces are rooted in the traditional canon, but possess a refreshingly captivating quality, marked by their focus on finesse and delicacy.

Among the most notable examples are, to mention just a few, the widely published Djenne terracotta figure from Mali, the Lobi stool carved by Sikiré Kambiré (1896–1963), the traditional iron staffs (‚opa osanyin‘) of the Yoruba from Nigeria, and the Ewe colon figure from Togo, which was exhibited and published in 1983 (lots 9, 16, 28, 27).

The collection’s miniatures are equally striking in their artistic refinement. This includes a small, 8 cm tall Yaka figure, still retaining its magical charge, along with finely crafted gourds and cups from the Kuba, Suku / Yaka cultures.
Heimberg‘s expertise in art was no accident. Born in Switzerland, he initially completed a painting apprenticeship in his father‘s business, which he was expected to take over. Instead, he attended the Kunstgewerbeschule (School of arts and crafts) in Zurich, before deciding to pursue training as a painting conservator. From an early age, his ambition was to work at the Doerner Institute of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collections) in Munich, which he would eventually lead decades later, from 1991 to 2001.

As training at the Doerner Institute wasn’t available at the time, Heimberg went to Stuttgart, where he completed internships at the Württemberg State Museum and two semesters at the Academy of Fine Arts. He then moved to London, working at the Tate Gallery. After three years there, in 1961, he left for Munich, where he finally fulfilled his long-held dream of joining the Doerner Institute.

At the Institute, Heimberg first worked as a conservator and later became the head of the 19th-century painting department. With the expansion of the collections, he also oversaw the restoration of modern art. In 1991, he became director, a role he held until his retirement in 2001.

One of the most challenging moments of his 40-year career at the Institute came in 1988, when an acid attack damaged several of Albrecht Dürer‘s works in the Alte Pinakothek. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and years of restoration, Heimberg and his team ultimately succeeded in saving the works.

Beyond his professional work, Heimberg was closely connected to the Munich art scene and leading gallery owners. No fewer than 24 works in this collection bear the provenance of Fred Jahn, including numerous published works. He shared a passion for contemporary and non-European art with the Wolters couple. Art historian Christian Wolters (1912–1998), a conservator at the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen since 1951 and director of the Doerner Institute from 1964 to 1974, was Heimberg’s predecessor. After the passing of Ursula Rusche Wolters, Heimberg wrote the foreword for the Neumeister auction catalogue in 2003, on the occasion of the estate sale.

Preserving art and bringing the value of cultural assets into public awareness was central to Bruno Heimberg‘s life’s work. His own collection included works from Africa, Japan, China, ancient America, and the Cyclades, as well as pieces from Art Nouveau, design, and contemporary art.

This curated collection begins with an iconic piece: a fragment of a female Cycladic idol, a canonical idol from the early Bronze Age, Spedos type (lot 7). Its timeless aesthetic has inspired modern artists such as Constantin Brâncusi and continues to captivate collectors and art enthusiasts worldwide to this days.


Sources:
among others Renate Poggendorf, Jan Schmidt und Florian Schwemer, Nachruf, edited by Verband der Restauratoren (VDR) e.V., Bonn, https://www.restauratoren.de/nachruf-fuer-bruno-heimberg-1933-2023/

 

Mali, Inland Niger Delta, Djenne, Collection Bruno Heimberg

Mali, Inland Niger Delta, Djenne

Provenance:
Fred Jahn, Munich
Bruno Heimberg, Munich

Greece, Cyclades, Collection Bruno Heimberg

Greece, Cyclades

Provenance:
Bruno Heimberg, Munich

Mexico, Central Gulf Coast, Veracruz, Collection Bruno Heimberg

Mexico, Central Gulf Coast, Veracruz

Provenance:
Bruno Heimberg, Munich

Oceania from the collection Heinrich Hense (1888-1960s)

Heinrich Hense was born in Altengeseke in North Rhine-Westphalia in 1888. Trained as a locksmith, he worked as a repairman for Heinrich Nordhaus, a bicycle, sewing machine and motor vehicle dealer in Münster, from 1907 to 1909. He then joined the Imperial Navy, where he travelled for long periods in Oceania and the South Seas. This is documented for the years 1911 and 1912 by dated letters on the letterhead of the shipping company „Norddeutscher Lloyd“. According to this, he travelled on the steamer „Prinz Ludwig“ in 1911 and on the Reichspostdampfer „Königin Luise“ in 1912.

Papua New Guinea - Bismarck Archipelago - New Ireland, Heinrich Hense

Papua New Guinea - Bismarck Archipelago - New Ireland

Provenance:
Heinrich Hense, in situ before 1918
Family-owned since then

Papua New Guinea - Bismarck Archipelago - New Ireland, Heinrich Hense

Papua New Guinea - Bismarck Archipelago - New Ireland

Provenance:
Heinrich Hense, in situ before 1918
Family-owned since then

Objects from the collection of Helmut Bruchner, Munich (1945-2023)

The following collection presents 14 selected works from Africa and Oceania, including a highly decorative pair of twin birds from the Baga people of Guinea (Lot 125). This charming and intricately crafted piece was already showcased in 1953 at the Swedish „Negerkonst“ exhibition at the National Museum in Stockholm, where it was described in the corresponding catalogue under the number 373.

The elaborate ‚lipiko‘ helmet mask of the Makonde, with its remarkably facial features, made it onto the cover of the Leipzig „Ostafrika“ exhibition catalogue in 2004/2005 (Lot 136). Bruchner acquired it in 2009 at the highly regarded Neumeister auction of the collection of art expert Dr. Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, who passed away in August this year.

Together with it, Bruchner purchased another artwork: a large, 82 cm tall terracotta burial sculpture from the Dakakari people of Nigeria (Lot 129). Shaped like an elephant, such sculptures were traditionally placed only on the graves of respected individuals. If the deceased had been wealthy or had achieved great accomplishments during their life, the community honored them with this symbol of high esteem, as elephant sculptures such as this one represented the highest aclaim.

Nigeria, Dakakari, Collection Helmut Brucher

Nigeria, Dakakari

Provenance:
K.-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich
Helmut Bruchner, Munich

Mozambique, Makonde, Collection Helmut Bruchner

Mozambique, Makonde

Provenance:
K.-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich
Helmut Bruchner, Munich

Guinea, Baga, Collection Helmut Bruchner, Einar Lynge-Ahlberg, Karlsson & Wickman

Guinea, Baga

Provenance:
Einar Lynge-Ahlberg, Malmö
Karlsson & Wickman Gallery, Stockholm
Swedish Private Collection
Helmut Bruchner, Munich

Precolumbian ceramics from the Klaus Kalz Collection, Berlin (1935-2023), Part 2

The growing appreciation for the art of ancient American cultures now has a 100-year history: In 1923, the British Museum in London presented Maya artworks in a dedicated room for the first time, and the Denver Art Museum opened its own department for indigenous art in 1925. Other renowned and respected galleries and museums worldwide followed [1].

Today, exhibitions on the cultures of Mesoamerica and South America are among the major attractions globally.
The prominence of ceramics and textiles, especially among the Andean cultures, is likely connected to the importance of funerary rituals, where graves in widely scattered cemeteries and necropolises were richly furnished with grave goods.

The art of the Nazca is highly symbolic, stylized, and remarkably colourful. Popular motifs include animals and demons, especially monkeys, large cats, and birds, which – depending on their temperament – appear to be holding either grains and seeds or captured human heads in their claws. Human figures are rarely portrayed on these thin-walled ceramics, renowned for their technical mastery.

The Kalz Collection offers an impressive testament to the diversity and quality of this art. It is a great pleasure and honour for us to now present the second part of this exquisite collection to an art-enthusiastic audience Archival records, along with insights from archaeologists, art historians, and conservators, as well as provenance research were all considered in the assessment and evaluation of each piece as well as several TL analyses that could not be more precisely verified.

More about Klaus Kalz and his collection can be found in auction catalogue 102, 13th of April 2024, or at https://issuu.com/zemanek/docs/tribalart102

[1] [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A4kolumbische_Kunst#Pr%C3%A4kolumbische_Kunst_auf_dem_internationalen_Markt].

 

Peru, Nazca, Collection Klaus Kalz

Peru, Nazca (~200 to 400 AD)

Provenance:
Klaus Kalz, Berlin (1984)

Peru, Nazca, Collection Klaus Kalz

Peru, Nazca (~200 to 400 AD)

Provenance:
Benno Mattel, Buenos Aires
Klaus Kalz, Berlin (1982)

Peru, Nazca, Collection Klaus Kalz

Peru, Nazca (~100 to 300 AD)

Provenance:
presumbly Benno Mattel, Buenos Aires
Galerie Gerdes, Munich
Klaus Kalz, Berlin (1975/1976)