The chance meeting occurred in 1952 at the renowned Galerie Commeter in Hamburg, when Herbert Beck at his solo exhibition encountered an interested visitor: Emil Nolde, the artist who, with the Expressionists in the early part of the century, had made art history. Nolde showed Beck, who was 53 years his junior, the watercolours he had brought with him in a portfolio. This important encounter would have a lasting and powerful effect on the painting of the young artist.
Sweeping landscapes. Cloud formations. Flower compositions. Colour chords that thrill the eye. Painterly bravura. An inner light that magically shines out of the watercolours. Enthusiasm for unbelievable beauty. These are the traits that many collectors know and love in Nolde's as well as in Beck's watercolours, which have been exhibited around the world from London to New York to Beijing.
But these watercolours by Beck, especially his landscapes and flower compositions, represent only a part of the truth about his artistic production.
English, German
Hardcover
28 x 24 cm
2018
180 pages