Two Heads (Zwei Kopfe)

pechstein two headsMax Pechstein (1881-1955), Two Heads (Zwei Kopfe), woodcut, 1922, signed in pencil lower right. Reference: Kruger 275. From the edition of 50. In very good condition, on a cream laid paper, with wide margins, 7 1/8 x 5, the sheet 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches. Issued by Max Osborn in “Max Bechstein”, 1922. Archival matting.

A fine impression.

In the spring of 1914 Pechstein traveled to the Palau Islands in the South Seas, returning to Germany via Japanese internment, The USA and Holland. He was drafted and served on the Somme front, only to return to Berlin in 1917 after a nervous collapse. Two Heads would seem to reflect his experience in the South Seas, as well, of course as his earlier years as an important member of the Brucke and the Neue Secession.