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Title: front: Beach Scene with Four Figures, 1921; back: Women with Masks, 1909 (Erich Heckel)
Inventory number: K-332
Dimensions/medium: 83 × 96.5 cm, oil on canvas
Characteristics: signed and dated lower left on the front “Erich Heckel 1921”
Two women, side by side, bathed in vivid red and pink, their faces hidden behind black masks. Erich Heckel composes his double portrait with energetic color and expressive brushwork. The forms are flat, the contours pulsate, and everything seems to be in motion. Perspective and anatomical precision are of secondary importance; Expressionism is concerned with expression, not representation. The mask becomes a symbol: of role-playing, of the hidden, and perhaps also of the freedom to redefine one’s identity. As in many works from Heckel’s time as a member of the artists’ group Die Brücke, the vibrant colors not only enhance the visual impact of the painting but, above all, intensify its emotional resonance. The artist painted both sides of the canvas. The beach landscape on the reverse side reflects Heckel’s style of the 1920s: clear forms, more subdued colors, and a harmonious composition have replaced the excessive drive for expression characteristic of his “Die Brücke” period. (SW)
Summary of Provenance
The beach scene with four figures/women wearing masks remained in the possession of Erich Heckel and his wife Siddi from the time of its creation in 1921 until September 1970. During World War II, the painting was kept in safe places, mostly in the basements of friends, and was retrieved after 1945, as indicated by a list compiled by Siddi Heckel. Eight months after Erich Heckel’s death, in September 1970, Siddi Heckel consigned the painting to the Wilhelm Grosshennig Gallery in Düsseldorf. From February to March 1971, *Beach Landscape with Four Figures/Women Wearing Masks* was exhibited by Grosshennig in the memorial exhibition *Erich Heckel: Works from 1905–1960*. One year later, on February 23, 1972, Siddi Heckel sold the painting to Wilhelm Grosshennig. Four years later, on October 26, 1976, Wilhelm Grosshennig sold *Beach Landscape with Four Figures/Women with Masks* to Helmut Horten.
+ PROVENANCE
| 1909/1921–1970 | Erich and Siddi Heckel / Artist’s estate |
| 1970 | Galerie Wilhelm Grosshenning, Düsseldorf (on consignment, unsold) |
| Feb. 23, 1972 | Galerie Wilhelm Grosshenning, Düsseldorf, purchased from Siddi Heckel, the artist’s widow |
| October 26, 1976 | Helmut Horten, acquired from the Wilhelm Grosshenning Gallery, Düsseldorf |
| 1987 | Heidi Horten |
| since 2022 | HGH Asset Foundation |
+ LITERATURE/ARCHIVES
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