'Cubist Still Life', School of Berlin (circa 1950s-1960s)

'Cubist Still Life', oil on board, with guitar, wine bottle and glasses, (circa 1950s - 1960s), by an unknown artist. A masterly cubist still life representation depicting items atop a wooden table painted in colours of earthy browns, grey, beige, yellow and white, from the collection of artists from the School of Berlin. Bold lines and angles weave in between the subtle hues creating a Georges Braque-like representation. Braque (1882-1963) often painted musical instruments - violins, guitars and mandolins - into his cubist works. Clearly this is an inspired homage to the master. Unfortunately, details of this painter's life remain undiscovered other than they lived in Berlin in the period after WWII. Notwithstanding the anonymity of the works, several galleries have acquired and are now selling this art which speaks to the widespread assessment of the quality and interest of the pieces. In good overall condition, there are a few very minor blemishes on the surface. It is framed with an elegant, French-style linen slip but is showing some small, yet visible nicks and dings. Unsigned and undated. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying this listing. Upon request, a video of this work may be provided.

About the Artist: Our gallery has access to a cache of paintings from the 1940s to the 1970s attributed to an art collective whose traces start with Germany. Berlin to start, but also Dresden, along the Saale, Weimar, Brera in Milan and Brussels. From the post-war period and onwards, they hosted young people who experimented with different painting techniques with exceptionally creative results. Over the years, dedicated art-seekers managed to unearth a treasure trove of these works from forgotten repositories. Once examined, the paintings were presented first to the Italian art market and then beyond, to art lovers in Europe and the United States.

Quietly, but surely, word of mouth scattered the news of the existence of these found artworks: cubist, expressionist, futurist and avant-garde. Trying to label these pieces doesn’t do them justice truly, but to call them studies, sketches, or simply, creations, would be more accurate.

It is interesting to note the artworks were very often unsigned, but often as not, initialled or monogrammed. Using known masterpieces as reference, their mentors suggested a particular style with which to experiment. Regrettably, this makes it impossible to pinpoint who amongst these bright creatives ‘made it’ in the world of art. But it really doesn’t matter. Each piece we've selected is extraordinary and therein lies the interest in these works.

Today, the artists’ creations from the School of Berlin hang on the walls of art lovers in London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Miami and Los Angeles. Galleries scramble to acquire the works having recognised the outstanding potential in the international art markets for these pieces with such fascinating origins.

Dimensions with Frame:

H 43.5 cm / 17.1"

W 53 cm / 20.9"

Dimensions without Frame:

H 30 cm / 11.8"

W 40 cm / 15.7"