Lot 256 Dα

Otto Mueller's affinity to the Gypsy theme has contributed significantly to the popularity of his art. In addition to around eighty paintings and works on paper, Mueller's most famous work from this group of works is the portfolio "Zigeuner - 9 farbige Lithos". In contrast to other portfolios of that time, it is not a closed cycle, but a series of individual sheets of an altogether autonomous character.
The elaborately produced works in the portfolio give an overview of Mueller's remarkable occupation with Gypsy culture, which he approached during his travels to the Balkans and southeastern Europe. His most expressive depictions show women and children in everyday, often domestic environments, recounting a simple, partly archaic life that could undoubtedly serve as a motif of longing for the escapist tendencies of modern Europe in mystical exaltation.
The present work impressively proves how masterfully Mueller was able to create a multi-faceted and highly variable colouration of sheer painterly quality between delicate strokes and strong shadows. The lithographs of the so-called gypsy portfolio are not only a highlight in Otto Mueller's work, they belong to the most important graphic cycles of German Expressionism.