''Berlin Street Scene'' () is a 1913 painting from the cycle '' Street scenes'', by the German

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

artist

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German Expressionism, expressionist Painting, painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expr ...

. The cycle, created by Kirchner between 1913 and 1915, often depicts "" (prostitutes) with their clients, and is regarded as one of the most important works of German Expressionism.

Description

In the painting foreground, two prostitutes are seen wearing very colourful clothing with elaborate lace collars and high-fashion hats. Two clients are depicted— one is facing the viewer, one is facing the prostitutes. The model for the clients probably was the artist's friend,

Otto Mueller Otto Melller (16 October 1874 – 24 September 1930) was a German painter and printmaker of the Die Brücke expressionist movement. Life and work Mueller was born in Liebau (now Lubawka, Kamienna Góra County), Kreis Landeshut, Silesia. ...

, but it is possible that Kirchner depicted himself as the model. The models for the two prostitutes are the sisters Erna and Gerad Schilling. In the background is a busy street. On the street are a horse carriage and the sign of the tram line 15, a

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public transport, public rail transport, ...

that ran through central Berlin. The women look at the two men provocatively. One of the men is giving them his attention, the other is looking away. The cropped representation of the two men creates the impression of a momentary capture.

Style

In the painting influences of Italian

Futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...

can be found through the hasty dynamic of the work. The angular language of form is borrowed from

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

Interpretation

Kirchner often depicted prostitutes and their relationship to their clients. This was not meant as social criticism but rather an attempt to depict his idea of a new independent type of woman. Kirchner noted:

Restitution

In 2006 Anita Halpin, the granddaughter of the Jewish art collector Alfred Hess, demanded the

restitution Restitution and unjust enrichment is the field of law relating to gains-based recovery. In contrast with damages (the law of compensation), restitution is a claim or remedy requiring a defendant to give up benefits wrongfully obtained. Liability ...

of the painting, which had previously been exhibited in the

Brücke Museum The Brücke Museum in Berlin houses the world's largest collection of works by members of the group ''Die Brücke'' ("The Bridge"), an early 20th-century German expressionist movement. Collection Opened in 1967, it features around 400 painti ...

in Berlin. The city granted the restitution. After that the painting was sold by the auction house

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

for 30 million Euros to the art collectors

Ronald Lauder Ronald Steven Lauder (born February 26, 1944) is an American businessman and pro-Israel political activist. He and his brother, Leonard Lauder, are the sole heirs to the Estée Lauder Companies, Estée Lauder cosmetics company, founded by their ...

and

Serge Sabarsky Serge Sabarsky (November 3, 1912 – February 23, 1996) was an art collector and art dealer of the 20th century. Life Born as Siegfried Sabarsky in Vienna, Sarbarsky worked as a clown and set designer for the cabaret Simplicissimus before fleein ...

. Then it became part of inventory of the Neue Galerie in New York. The restitution was based on the Washington Declaration from 1998 in which Germany said it would return the paintings that were confiscated during the Nazi era to the heirs of the victims. The public reaction to the restitution was very negative. It was questioned whether the widow of Alfred Hess had been forced to sell the painting. Her family had gotten into financial troubles in 1929 after the world economic crisis and she could therefore have sold the painting for financial reasons. However the circumstances of the selling of the painting are unclear. The painting was transferred to the Cologne art association in 1936 and there sold to the art collector

Carl Hagemann Carl Hagemann (April 9, 1867, in Essen – November 20, 1940, in Frankfurt am Main) was a German chemist, industrial manager and one of the most important German art collectors and patrons in the first half of the 20th century. Life Hageman ...

under unclear circumstances. Many people still questions whether the Washington Declaration was applicable in this case. It was doubted that the sale was connected to the persecution of Jews. Furthermore the Washington Declaration wasn't legally binding, therefore it wasn't necessary to restore the painting for legal reasons. Several complaints were filed against politicians from Berlin that had been involved in the restitution. The attorney's office however refused to file charges, which is why there were no convictions. Supporters of the Brücke Museum still demand that the painting be returned to them.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin Street Scene Berlin in the arts and media 1913 paintings Paintings by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Paintings in the Neue Galerie New York Works about prostitution in Germany Prostitution in paintings Streets in art Berlin in art Oil on canvas paintings Genre paintings Paintings of women Paintings of men