Oil on panel
Germany, 1st half 20th century
Alfred Leithäuser (1898-1979) – German painter and draftsman
Signed upper right ‘A. Leithäuser’
Signed and inscribed on the reverse ‘Alfred Leithäuser, München’ and presumably titled nearly illegibly fainted ‘Kleines Stillleben mit Kartoffeln’
On the reverse marked twice with the stamp ‘Sammlung Hof München’ and with handwritten number ‘394’
Dimensions: 29 x 34.2 cm
In profile frame
Good condition
Provenance: Private collection, Germany
In this still life with potatoes, the influence of New Objectivity is noticeable in the painterly treatment of the surfaces; his paintings fetch up to €12,000 on the international auction market

This still life depicts four potatoes, which are arranged together with a sheet of paper, an empty glass bottle and a porcelain cup on a brown table top. The colors are very subdued, shades of brown and turbid white dominate the composition. The composition, style and shapes are clear and simple. The influence of New Objectivity, which emerge in the 1930s in Leithäusers work is to see in this small format painting, too.

The painting is signed upper right ‘A. Leithäuser’. On verso it is signed and inscribed in pencil ‘Alfred Leithäuser, München’ and presumably titled nearly illegibly fainted ‘Kleines Stilleben mit Kartoffeln’. Additionally it is stamped twice ‘Sammlung Hof München’, and twice assigned with the handwritten number ‘394’. It shows shrinkage cracks due to painting technique and slight framing traces along the edges. The condition is good. The condition of the frame is also good with slight signs of wear. The panel measures 29 x 34.2 cm, the framed dimensions are 41 x 46 cm.

Alfred Leithäuser (1898-1979)

Alfred Leithäuser turned to painting after training as an engineer and studied under Gustav Wiethüchter at the art school in his native town of Barmen. In 1923 he went to Munich, where he continued his artistic education at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts. Later, a two-year study under André Lhote in Paris, as well as extended stays in Italy, Spain and Mallorca followed. Back in Munich Leithäuser became Member of the New Secession in 1930. During National Socialism, his work was considered degenerate. So his first solo exhibition took place in 1946 at Gut Hinterhör in the market congregation Neubeuern. Around 1960, Leithäuser joined the Munich based artist group Neuer Realismus, founded amongst others by Emil Scheibe and Albert Heinzinger. In 1978 he received the Eduard-von-der-Heydt Culture Prize of the city of Wuppertal. Leithäusers work, still life, figure paintings and landscapes were initially influenced by Cézanne and Lhote, whos cubist design vocabulary he took up moderately. During the 1930s, Leithäuser turned to the New Objectivity. (fea)

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