WITHDRAWN : Wilhelm Kuhnert, German 1865-1926- ‘Elefanten im Fluss’ (Elephants in a river); oil on canvas, signed, signed, titled and inscribed 'Berlin' on the reverse, 92 x 123cm Provenance: Doig Wilson & Wheatley, Edinburgh according to the label attached to the stretcher; Christie's, London 09 Jul 2014 lot 109; Private collection, London Note: The work is accompanied with a certificate of authentication and report from Dr Angelika Grettmann-Werner who will be including this work in the Wilhelm Kuhnert catalogue raisonné as no. 4069. During the late 19th century, artists such as Wilhelm Kuhnert were encouraged to study the animals from the many zoos that were becoming popular across Europe at the time. However, Kuhnert felt that these animals were often aged or sickly animals. Dissatisfied with this, Kuhnert chose to follow the example of Germany’s celebrated animal painter Richard Friese (1854-1918), who advocated the study of wild animals in their native habitats. Thus, Kuhnert travelled to the German and English colonial territories of East and South Africa on safari in 1905 and 1911-12 in order to study animals in the wild, such as this painting of elephants. Dr Angelika Grettmann-Werner noted in her report on ‘Elefanten im Fluss’ that there is another similar painting by the artist, WV No.4211 in her upcoming catalogue, which is also three elephants, two adults and one baby. Grettman-Werner noted that ''While the three animals are represented in a similar manner in arrangement and behaviour, the water has been designed as flowing water. There are many more waves, so that the behaviour of all animals is even more alive. The shore is different: the lines between the sand area and the reed are comparable, but the edge is harder. Both on the waterfront and on the shore area there is a flock of birds (ibises)” The Schirn Kunsthalle museum in Frankfurt held a retrospective of the Kuhnert’s works ‘King of the Animals’ October 2018-January 2019, since then there has been an increased interest in this artist, his works can be found in institutions around the world.

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