In the Theater Box, 1927

Enveloped by the muted darkness of a soiree, the three female spectators appear to merge organically with the red tones of their box. Their faces and evening gowns reflect the weak light from the stage. Characteristically for Hans Böhler’s (1884–1961) works, the painting conveys a sense of timelessness and tranquility through abstraction and a de-individualization of his figures. Like in his painting At the Reiss Bar, the ladies with their short hairstyles epitomize the type of modern metropolitan woman, who in the 1920s and 30s carved out her place within the lively bustle of cafés, bars and performance venues of European metropolises. At the time Böhler created the painting In the Box at the Theater in 1927, he was living in Vienna, and had become a fixture of Viennese Modernism with his contributions to presentations at the Secession and Salon Pisko, as well as to exhibitions in Austria and abroad.

RR, 2023