Who was the artist that created this woodblock print titled "Auerhahn" (Wood grouse, Tetrao Urogallus) ? I read G (maybe O) Ackermann but cannot find a printer by that name. It's a big print, 32 x 37 cm. with nice blues. This big and illusive bird is also depicted on this most famous Finnish (it's in the Finlands National Gallery) painting by Ferdinand von Wright (1822-1906), It's the biggest of the grouse family.
The simpleton that framed the print cut the matt too narrow and glued the print onto it thus hiding the black border margins behind the matt. Instead of creating a nice and even space around the printed area. Maybe it was ignorance or maybe it was instructed by the buyer. On the back is written "nr. 6315, No: 65 and in Silver frame". Most probably instructions for shop catalogue identification, matting and framing. It was sold (or maybe only framed ?) in the Netherlands by "the Bijenkorf". A Dutch Harrods, having a Fine Arts Department. A new, posh and very modern shopping centre openend right in the heart of Amsterdam in 1914,
with pré-WWII branches opening in the Hague in 1924, designed by architect Piet Kramer (1881-1961):
and Rotterdam designed by architect Willem Dudok (1884-1974), opening in late 1930. This great, beautiful and much loved modernistic building was distroyed only 9 years later in the cowardly bombing raid and folowing firestorm of Rotterdam May 14th 1940. There are plans of rebuilding it. On the same spot, now housing a new Maritime Museum.
I have three prints by Ackermann. What were you able to find out about him. my prints are depictions of colonists or the like working with natives of possibly Africa or the South Pacific.
ReplyDeleteDrue - drue54@gmail.com
Hello Drue, I try sharing all I know about obscured printmakers on the Blog. There's another print by him or her, a cockadoo, on the Blog. I'll do a follow-up soon. Thanks for letting me know, I'll email you too for the exchange of some facts and more prints.
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