19/07/26
A New Bauhaus Addition to the JK Art Collection
Following the acquisition of a work by Oskar Schlemmer in 2021, the JK Art Foundation’s collection was enriched this past month by another key figure of the Bauhaus movement: Lyonel Feininger. The American-German artist developed a highly unique synthesis of Cubism and Expressionism, becoming the very first Formmeister (Master of Form) appointed by Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus. Feininger composed his signature motifs—such as cities, churches, and ships—using clear, transparent planes reminiscent of crystalline structures. His distinctive style seamlessly merges sharp, geometric lines with a serene, almost melancholic atmosphere and a fragile interplay of light.
The painting Die Insel (1923), dating from his early Bauhaus years, is a striking example of this prismatic approach. Inspired by a visit to the Baltic Sea in the autumn of 1922, Feininger transformed his fleeting nature sketches of clouds and a solitary island into a layered, metaphysical composition.
Lyonel Feininger - Die Insel (The Island), 1923
The layout follows a classical principle reminiscent of German Romanticism, utilizing a low horizon line to emphasize a narrow strip of coastline in the foreground. Upon this shore stands a solitary, highly stylized figure. This small silhouette gazes across the water toward a geometric island in the distance, which appears on the horizon like a subtle vision. Within Feininger's oeuvre, this island motif is exceptionally rare. The painting's quiet yet charged atmosphere leads directly back to the very source of his inspiration. On September 9, 1922, Feininger wrote to his wife Julia about his profoundly moving visit to the Baltic coast:
"I have just returned from the shore, where I sketched the clouds over the sea—an entire continent of storm clouds. The water along the coast is completely still, and beneath the distant, mighty, and luminous clouds on the horizon, the deep blue of the sea shimmers in broad reflections. So many images are coming to me; I long so deeply to paint these visions.
The Bauhaus Masters on the roof of the Bauhaus campus in Dessau, Dec. 1926. From right to left: Oskar Schlemmer, Gunta Stölzl, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius and others
19/11/25
New Acquisition: Pyke Koch and the Mystery of Magic Realism
The JK Art Foundation is delighted to welcome a new addition to its collection: an iconic work by Pyke Koch. This landmark piece significantly strengthens the foundation's representation of Magic Realism. Although the collection already includes Koch's Shooting Target (c. 1960) and two canvases by Carel Willink, only Willink's Anteaters in a Landscape (1958) shared this specific stylistic ground.
Titled Florentine Gardens (c. 1930), the painting looks past romantic nostalgia to use Renaissance garden design as a metaphor for control and detachment. The rigid hedges, geometric paths, and classical facades create a harmony that feels eerily vacant. Devoid of human life, the scene becomes beautifully uncomfortable; its perfection is cold and its silence absolute.
Captured with meticulous detail, the painting represents a crucial turning point in Koch's career. It bridges his early romanticism with the stark, psychological intensity found in his later masterpieces like The Shooting Gallery. While Florentine Gardens mimics a peaceful tribute to antiquity, it functions as a profound study of power, order, and isolation—themes that remained central to Koch’s artistic vision.
Pyke Koch (1901-1991) - Florentine Garden (Florentijnse tuin), 1938