'Still Life with Guitar and Wine' Berlin School (circa 1950s)

'Still Life with Guitar and Wine', oil on board, Berlin School (signed 'Demeyer'). Clearly inspired by the early cubist works of Gris, Braques and Picasso, each of whom created an artwork with similar subject in the early part of the 20th century. Like the early cubists, the artist uses angles, lines and colour to create an entirely new dimension to painting. Cubists abandoned perspective and realism, instead portraying figures and objects from various angles like geometric planes. This artist's version has a certain naivety about it yet incorporates colour and composition in harmonious balance. It is in overall good condition with some slight fading commensurate with age. It has been professionally cleaned and newly framed with a French-style linen slip. Upon request a video 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.

When beautiful art is timeless and the search for it fires a passion, the thought-provoking works of even 'invisible' artists can’t help but be uncovered. Quietly, but surely, word of mouth scattered the news of the existence of these found artworks: cubist, expressionist, futurist and avant-garde. To label these pieces doesn’t do them justice truly, but to call them studies, sketches, experiments or simply, creations, would be more accurate.

It is interesting to note the artworks were very often unsigned, but often as not, initialled or monogramed. 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 experiment was extraordinary and therein lies the interest in these works.

Today, the artists’ creations hang on the walls of art cognoscenti 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 of such fascinating origins.

Dimensions with frame:

H 34.5 cm / 13.6"

W 40.5 cm / 15.9"

Dimensions without frame:

H 20.5 cm / 8.1"

W 26 cm / 10.2"