Im Museum

Künstler*in August Eduard Wenzel (1895 Reichenau bei Gablonz/ Rychnov u Jablonce nad Nisou – 1971 Baden)

Object typeGemälde
MediumOil on chipboard
Dimensions
60 x 69 cm
SignatureSign. und dat. links unten: A. E. WENZEL | 1939
Inventory number6358
Locations Derzeit nicht ausgestellt
Bohemian painter and teacher August E. Wenzel chose an unusual theme for this scene: a museum visitor sitting on a bench, lost in thought. A notebook rests on her lap, and she has put aside a few pieces of writing. The most striking feature is the prominent beam of light radiating into the room in an angled direction. Is this meant to point to the enlightenment she has gained from observation and reading? But what sort of art was on display in museums at the time this was created in 1939? In the late 1930s, modern and avant-garde works that did not conform to National Socialist art doctrines were either banned from public collections, confiscated, or destroyed.