Tempera on canvas, laid down on board
Germany, 1953
Franz Erich Lenk (1898-1968) - German painter
Ligated monogram “F.L..” to the left margin
Inscribed with ‘Bergkapelle bei Dornbirn im Bregenzer Wald – Franz. Lentz, Prof.’ on the reverse
Dimensions, with frame: 50 x 80 cm
Good condition
Provenance: Private collection, Germany
Lenk was besides Otto Dix, Alexander Kanoldt, Franz Radziwill and Georg Schrimpf one of the most important artists of the New Objectivity in Germany. The current highest auction record for a similar painting by Franz Lenk is more than €40,000

The present painting by Franz Erich Lenk (1898-1968) from 1953 shows a view of a mountain chapel near Dornbirn in the Bregenz forest in Austria. The painting is executed in Lenk's characteristic style of painting with very fine and sometimes transparent brushstrokes. Though dating from the 1950s, the painting is still characterized by the cool objectivity, for which Franz Lenk became well known in the 1920s and 1930s.

The painting bears the ligated monogram ‘F.L.’ to the left margin. The reverse of the board shows the inscription ‘Bergkapelle bei Dornbirn im Bregenzer Wald – Franz. Lentz, Prof.’. The canvas has been laid down on bard. The painting is in good condition, showing light wear and framing marks. The frame is slightly worn. The overall dimensions, including the frame, are 68 x 98 cm. The board measures 50 x 80 cm.

Franz Erich Lenk (1898-1968)

After an apprenticeship as a house painter, Franz Erich Lenk started an apprenticeship as a lithographer at the Art Institute Etzold & Kießling in Crimmitschau. In 1919, he began studying at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts under the tutelage of Professor Richard Müller, and in 1922, he became a master student of Ferdinand Dorsch in Dresden. In 1928, he founded the artist group ‘Die Sieben’ along with Alexander Kanoldt and Franz Radziwill, whose works were characterized by an almost photo-realistic accuracy, clarity and order. Beginning of 1930, he went to Berlin and became a professor at the Vereinigten Staatsschulen. In 1932, he finally moved into a studio in Berlin-Charlottenburg. In 1938, Lenk broke up with teaching for political reasons and went to Thuringia. In 1959, he moved to Schwäbisch Hall, where he was responsible for cultural affairs.

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