About the Artwork
This picture most likely depicts the view from the window of Kokoschka’s studio in Dresden, from which he enjoyed a splendid view of the Elbe River, its bridges, and the houses on the far shore. The three elements of the landscape—water, embankment, and sky—are suggested by bold patches of bright color, and the simple, strongly horizontal composition emphasizes the low buildings and the river’s edge. Painted between 1919, when Kokoschka moved to Dresden, and 1921, this painting is one of the earliest works by the artist to have been acquired by a U.S. museum.
The Elbe Near Dresden
ca. 1921
Oskar Kokoschka
1886-1980
Austrian
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Oil on canvas
Unframed: 23 1/2 × 31 1/2 inches (59.7 × 80 cm) Framed: 28 3/16 × 36 1/8 × 1 1/2 inches (71.6 × 91.8 × 3.8 cm)
Paintings
European Modern Art to 1970
City of Detroit Purchase
21.203
Restricted
Markings
Signed, lower left: O K
Provenance
1921-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)For more information on provenance, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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German Painting and Sculpture. Exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art. New York, 1931, no. 52.
Hoffman, E. Kokoschka-Life and Work. London, 1947, no. 125. [as Dresden I]
Retrospective Exhibition of Oskar Kokoschka. Exh. cat., Institute of Contemporary Art. Boston, 1949, no. 26 (ill.).
Oskar Kokoschka. Exh. cat., Haus der Kunst. Munich, 1958, no. 48.
Oskar Kokoschka, the Work of the Painter. Exh. cat., Galerie Welz. Salzburg, 1958, p. 309, no. 135.
German Expressionism. Exh. cat., Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts. Columbus, Ohio, 1961, no. 43.
Bultman, B. Oskar Kokoschka. London, 1961, pp. 70-71 (ill.). [as Dresden New own II, dated 1921]
Kokoschka. Exh. cat., Tate Gallery. London, 1962, no. 58 (pl. 19).
Kokoschka. Exh. cat., Marlborough-Gerson Gallery. New York, 1966, p. 41, no. 21 (ill.).
Erwerbungsberichte, vol. II. Hamburg, Germany, 1966, p. 172, no. 11.
Cinco Siglos de Obras Maestras. Exh. cat., Museo de Jade. San Jose, Costa Rica, 1978, pp. 24, 51 (ill.).
Uhr, H. Masterpieces of German Expressionism at the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1982, p. 122 (ill.).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
© Estate of Oskar Kokoschka / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Oskar Kokoschka, The Elbe Near Dresden, ca. 1921, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 21.203.
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