On View
Not on viewObject number1990/1.28
Self-Portrait
Artist
Emil Hansen Nolde
(German, 1867-1956)
Date1910
Mediumink on paper
Dimensionsimage flush: 19 1/8 × 14 1/4 in. (48.6 × 36.2 cm)
frame: 28 × 22 3/4 × 1 3/4 in. (71.1 × 57.8 × 4.4 cm)
frame: 28 × 22 3/4 × 1 3/4 in. (71.1 × 57.8 × 4.4 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Genevieve U. Gilmore
Exhibition History"German Expressionist Art in Western Michigan Collections," KIA traveling exhibition (Mar. 1 - July 1, 1979).
"A Gift to Kalamazoo: Selections from the Genevieve U. Gilmore Collection," KIA (Apr. 2 - May 5, 1991).
"70 Years, 70 Works from the KIA Permanent Collection," KIA (Nov. 19, 1994 - Feb. 10, 1995).
"Masterworks from the KIA Permanent Collection," Dennos Museum Center (Mar. 1997 - Feb. 1998); Midland Center for the Arts (Apr. - July, 1998).
"Highlights from the Permanent Collection: Prints and Drawings," KIA (Sept. 15 - Nov. 25, 2001).
"Looking at the Portrait," KIA Galleries 2&5 (Apr. 23 - July 3, 2005).
"Masterworks on Paper," KIA Long Gallery (Sept. 2005 - Jan. 2006).
"Germany in Transition: Prints and Drawings 1890-1923," KIA Long Gallery (Apr. 20 - July 15, 2006).
"Master Drawings from the Permanent Collection," KIA Long Gallery (Nov. 18, 2006 - Feb. 4, 2007).
"Curator's Choice: European Works on Paper," KIA Long Gallery (May 9 - Aug. 27, 2008).
"Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015).Label TextWhat story can we read in Emil Nolde’s self-portrait of 1910? The face is defined by shadow and bright light. A simple, plaid cap obscures the artist’s eyes, which burn with reproach—or maybe yearning. Could the young artist feel caught between despondency and determination, failures and successes, darkness and light?
At the time of this Self-Portrait, Nolde’s story was just beginning. As he found his unique style, he experienced some success, but also bitter rejections. Like other artists challenging artistic boundaries, and especially those attempting to work through the Nazi era, Nolde and his artistic vision would be alternately cast in shadow and light.
