Lot 169: Eduard Karsen (Dutch, 1860-1941)

Boerderij aan de Amstel: the riverside farmhouse
signed 'Ed Karsen' (lower left)
oil on canvas
40 x 54.5 cm.

Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum (on loan 1942-1945).
Eindhoven, Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum (on loan 1949-1953).
Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum, 1955, cat.no. 76.
Laren, Singer Museum, 1957, cat.no. 119.
Leiden, Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal, Tijdgenoten van Floris Verster, 1957, cat.no. 94.
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Van Romantiek tot Amsterdamse School, 1958, cat.no. C95.
Laren, Singer Museum, 1964, cat.no. 90.
Schiedam, Stedelijk Museum, De verstilde wereld van Karpar en Eduard Karsen, 18 December 1976-23 Januari 1977, cat.no. 62.
Arnhem, Arnhems Museum, De verstilde wereld van Karpar en Eduard Karsen, 5 February-20 March 1977, cat.no. 62.
Assen, Provinciaals Museum Drente, 1982-1988 (on loan).

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (Verzameling B. de Geus van den Heuvel) : Museum Fodor, Amsterdam en particulier bezit, in: Schatten der Schilderkunst, Derde reeks, Wereldbibliotheek, Amsterdam, 1944, ill.

Acquired directly from the artist in 1935 by B. de Geus van den Heuvel, Nieuwersluis.
B. de Geus van den Heuvel; Sale, Sotheby's Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 26 -27 April 1976, lot 283 (f 7.800), where acquired by the present owner.

EDUARD KARSEN (DUTCH, 1860-1941)

Eduard Karsen was born in 1860 as the son of the renowned painter of town views, Kaspar Karsen. Eduard had at first wanted to become a professional sailor. His father however, pushed Eduard to become an artist. In a letter to an unknown girl Karsen writes: 'Veel belangrijks weet ik zelf ook niet of het mocht dit wezen dat ik als jongen vele jaren achtereen zwoer ter zee te zullen varen, en ik mij nu verwonder schilder te zijn. Dit is echter meer de schuld van mijn vader, waarover ik hem thans geen verwijten meer maak.'

Eduard Karsen belonged to the group of young bohemian artists and writers who passionately propagated the ideal of l'art pour l'art toward the end of the 19th century. Within this movement, also known as 'The Tachtigers', the introvert Karsen took up a singular position. In contrast to fellow artists such as I. Israels and G.H. Breitner, who were inspired by the dynamic character of the flourishing capital, Karsen portrayed a sleepier world, consciously leaving out superfluous details and allusions to time. To further enhance the dream-like quality, Karsen avoided populating his impressions with people and covered his works with a frosted, pearly veil. Early mornings and late afternoons especially proved to be an appropriate time for the artist to venture outside to capture the immaterial. In his sonnet Avond, which W. Kloos supposedly dedicated to the melancholic artist in 1866, the poet evokes the essence of Karsen's work in a striking manner: 'En ver, daar ginds, die zachtgekleurde lucht Als perlemoer, waar ied're tint vervliet In terheid... Rust-o, wondervreemd genucht! Want alles is bij dag zinnig niet. (see: Exhibition catalogue, Arnhems Museum, De verstilde wereld van Kaspar en Eduard Karsen, 5 February-20 March 1977).

Karsen created the majority of his works between 1888 and 1891. It has been suggested that this increase in artistic activity was triggered by the rejection of his amorous advances towards Saar de Swart around that time. His deserted and slightly surreal landscapes can thus be interpreted as reflections of his psychological moods. Following the death of Karsen's father in 1896 he moved in with his mother and led a reclusive existence. Though Karsen stopped painting after 1905 and left behind a moderately large oeuvre of around 100 paintings, each picture transcends the ordinary, giving a glimpse of the eternal. The following collection of paintings by his hand gives an interesting and representative overview of his oeuvre.

Christie's charge a premium to the buyer on the final bid price of each lot sold at the following rates: 23.8% of the final bid price of each lot sold up to and including €150,000 and 14.28% of any amount in excess of €150,000. Buyers' premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.