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• Auction House:
  W T Macalister
• Sale Name:
  40 Years of Leo Bensemann
• Sale Date:
  28 Mar 2012 ~ 6:30pm (NZDT)
• Lot #:
  13
• Lot Description:
  Leo Bensemann
  (1912-1986)
  Bensemann was proud of his German ancestry (he spoke and read the language from childhood) and he greatly enjoyed his two visits to Germany in 1970 an
  Oil On board
  705 x 533mm
• References:
  The other imaginary portraits were Unknown Nürnberg and Unknown Frankfurt/Main (both 1971); see Otto, Portraits, p. 101-02. Quoted in Otto, Portraits, p. 101 and Simpson, Fantastica, p. 138
• Notes:
  Bensemann was proud of his German ancestry (he spoke and read the language from childhood) and he greatly enjoyed his two visits to Germany in 1970 and 1979 to visit his daughter Caroline who had settled there. He did few paintings while he was actually present in Germany but drew on the experiences of his travels for paintings done after his return. This painting is one of several imaginary portraits made in 1971 after his return from Germany, three of which (including this one) were included in his Retrospective Exhibition held at Rue Pompallier Gallery, Akaroa, in March-April 1972. In February 1971 Bensemann wrote to Caroline: '...And it also happens that I began a very satisfactory Imaginäres Porträt this afternoon (in oil) and there's nothing like a little good painting to improve one's outlook. I intend to do a number of these as I rashly promised to put on a small show in Akaroa later in the year.' Westerwald is a forested mountainous area of Germany close to the town of Limburg on the Lahn River where Bensemann stayed (when he wasn't travelling to other places) during his 1970 trip. The green background to the portrait possibly signifies abstractly this forest setting. The head is surrounded by a kind of halo effect, as if the young woman were silhouetted against the opening to a cave. The treatment of the head and torso is highly stylised, the facial features, neck and shoulders being outlined in black. The blonde hair of the woman closely hugs her face and her neck is elegantly slender. Her plain blue-green garment is enlivened by a circular black pendant of intricate and probably Celtic design. This may allude to the fact that there was an archaic Celtic settlement located in the Westerwald region. Perhaps Bensemann was interested in this aspect of Germany because he inherited Celtic ethnicity also from his Irish/English mother's side of the family, a connection that recurs in the two Alemann paintings.
• Estimate:
  NZ$9,000 - 11,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.