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ONLINECOLLECTION

Group of Women, 1922

Leopold Museum,
Vienna © Foundation Wörlen,
Passau
Oil on canvas
115.1×85.4 cm

Artists

  • Georg Philipp Wörlen

    (Dillingen an der Donau 1886–1954 Passau)

Unfortunately not on display at the moment
The five female figures in the oil painting Group of Women by the Passau painter Georg Philipp Wörlen (1886-1954) appear translucent, delicate, and united by an intimate bond. Composed in 1922 from sculptural basic trigonometric shapes like turned wooden figurines, the figures look like fallen out of time. There is something metaphysical about them. The expression is heightened by the restrained color range and the glazed painting, which aim for a simplified physicality. The female figures, stripped of any individuality, and the shapes in the background, reminiscent of fanned-out architectural elements, are articulated in the same mode. Figures and background construction merge into a compositional unity, creating an effect of universal significance. Wörlen was in friendly contact with fellow artists such as Carry Hauser (1895–1985), but, being a convinced Nazi, fell out with him after Adolf Hitler’s (1889–1945) seizure of power.

Object data

Artist/author
  • Georg Philipp Wörlen
Title
Group of Women
Date
1922
Art movement
Expressionism, New Objectivity, Hagenbund
Category
Painting
Material​/technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
115.1×85.4 cm
Signature
Signed and dated upper left: G. PH W…RLEN 1922
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 712
Inventory access
Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994
Selection of Reference works
  • Bianca Buhr: Georg Philipp Wörlen. Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde, Köln 2020.
  • Zwischen den Kriegen. Österreichische Künstler 1918–1938, hrsg. von Rudolf Leopold, Wien 2007 (Ausst.-Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien, 21.09.2007-28.01.2008).
Catalogue raisonne
  • Buhr 2020: 56
Keywords

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (o.D.);
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (seit 1994).

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