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4 Muses

Artist
Jörg Immendorff, German, 1945–2007
Date
1980
associated with
Germany, Europe
Classification
Paintings
Current Location
Not on view
Dimensions
122 1/8 x 98 1/2 in. (310.2 x 250.2 cm)
framed: 123 1/4 x 99 1/4 in. (313.1 x 252.1 cm)
Credit Line
Funds given by The Jordan Charitable Foundation
Rights
© The Estate of Jörg Immendorff, Courtesy Galerie Michael Werner Märkisch Wilmersdorf, Köln & New York
Object Number
5:2003
NOTES
Jörg Immendorff, working in West Germany, depicted a fictitious art studio shared by himself and three friends: Georg Baselitz, Markus Lüpertz, and A.R. Penck. Immendorff’s painting includes numerous references to the four artists’ works, personalities, and political beliefs. Penck, who lived in East Germany, is shown in the shadows, surrounded by imagery of Eastern Bloc communism. Baselitz, also from East Germany, is represented at a table supported by his characteristic inverted figures. Lüpertz, who moved to West Germany as a child, is well-known for engaging with Germany’s past. Here, he sits at a table that rests on heads with Germany’s flag covering their eyes.
by 1981 - 2003
Michael Werner Gallery, New York, NY, USA; Cologne, Germany [1]

2003 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the Michael Werner Gallery [2]


Notes:
The main source for the provenance is a letter from the Michael Werner Gallery dated May 24, 2002 [SLAM document files].

[1] According to a 1981 exhibition catalogue, "4 Muses" was owned by Michael Werner Gallery, Cologne, Germany ["Jörg Immendorff, Per Kirkeby, Markus Lüpertz, A. R. Penck: Hunden tillstöter under veckans lopp." Stockholm: Moderna Museet, 1981, p. 125].

[2] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 4, 2003; and the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 10, 2003.