Jugendliches Selbstbildnis. Um 1920.
Oil on canvas, mounted on fibreboard.
74,5 : 64 cm (29,3 : 25,1 in). After dropping out of his medical studies in Breisgau, Nückel moved to Munich in order to make a profession out of an inclination for drawing and painting that he had had since childhood. He studied at the Knirr School in Munich and became a member of the Munich New Secession, showing work at their exhibitions. The artist earned his living as an illustrator and caricaturist, including work for the satirical magazine Simplicissimus. His painting unites Cubist, Expressionist and New Objectivity elements. The present self-portrait recalls the stately tendency of official 18th-century portraiture. The freshness of the handling, however, contrasts appealingly with the rather self-glorifying pose. [BR]

PROVENIENZ: Acquired from the artist's estate by the previous owner.