IMMENDORFF, JÖRG
1945 Bleckede/Elbe–2007 Duesseldorf

Title: Fortuna (Frau auf Weltkugel).
Date: 1989-91.
Technique: Bronze, green-patinated.
Measurement: 175 x 80 x 80 cm.
Notation: Numbered, signed and dated on the back of the plinthe of the right: 1/7 Immendorff 1989.
Foundry mark: Next to it foundry mark: KAYSER DÜSSELDORF (difficult to read). Editioned 1/7.



Provenance:
- - Galerie Rackey, Bad Honnef

- Corporate collection Cologne (acquired from the previous owner in 2007)


Literature:
- Galerie Rackey (ed.): Jörg Immendorff – 24 Bronzen, Bad Honnef 2012, cat. no. 3, ill.



- A central bronze sculpture by Jörg Immendorff, which powerfully translates his political visual discourse into sculpture.

- A radical reinterpretation of Fortuna as a fragile figure shaped by the vicissitudes of history.

- A powerful allegory of transience, power and the human condition



The painter, sculptor and printmaker Jörg Immendorff ranks among the most significant German contemporary artists of the post-war period. Following studies at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, initially in stage design and later in the class of Joseph Beuys, he developed a politically engaged stance at an early stage. Through provocative actions, happenings and expressive, vividly coloured paintings, Immendorff fundamentally questioned the social function of art. He gained international recognition with the Café Deutschland cycle (1978–1982), in which he reflected upon the division of Germany through densely expressive pictorial worlds. Alongside painting, Immendorff also began creating sculptural works from the late 1970s onwards, translating his symbol-laden visual language into three-dimensional form. Art historically, his oeuvre can be situated within the tension between Neo-Expressionism, political figuration and allegorical visual tradition.

The present bronze Fortuna (1989–91) is among Jörg Immendorff’s most striking sculptural works. It depicts the ancient goddess of fate, though not as a sovereign guide, but rather as a fragile, almost helpless figure. Supported by sticks, she balances upon a rugged, hollow globe and appears at the mercy of the changing tides of history. The green-brown patina enhances the sculpture’s physical presence while simultaneously lending the figure a sense of historical depth. Concealed within the globe are fallen symbols of political and religious systems, drawing attention to their transience. In this way, Fortuna becomes a multilayered allegory that not only addresses uncertainty and change, but also reflects the period of upheaval surrounding German reunification. Within Immendorff’s oeuvre, the work occupies a central position, as it translates his painterly concerns into a compelling spatial form



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#Jörg Immendorff #Neo-Expressionism #Neue Wilde #New History Painting #Germany #Post-War Art #1980s #Woman #Sculpture #Scultpures.



This lot will be sold under standard taxation (Condition of Sale §V5.1)







In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obliged to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price to this fee.