King of the Animals: Wilhelm Kuhnert and the Image of Africa

Hardback

Main Details

Title King of the Animals: Wilhelm Kuhnert and the Image of Africa
Authors and Contributors      Edited by Philipp Demandt
Edited by Ilka Voermann
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:240
Dimensions(mm): Height 290,Width 240
Category/GenreArt and design styles - c 1800 to c 1900
Individual artists and art monographs
Animals and nature in art (still life, landscapes and seascapes, etc)
ISBN/Barcode 9783777431291
ClassificationsDewey:759.3
Audience
General
Illustrations 150 Illustrations, color

Publishing Details

Publisher Hirmer Verlag
Imprint Hirmer Verlag
Publication Date 28 February 2019
Publication Country Germany

Description

Wilhelm Kuhnert was a pioneer. He was one of the first European artists to travel to the largely unexplored savannahs and jungles of the German colonies in North and East Africa. Under hazardous conditi ons he documented at close quarters the fascinating animal and plant world and then created in his Berlin studio monumental paintings which were much sought - after on the art market. Like no other artist of his time Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865 - 1926) has moulded our image of Africa. In his seductively realistic drawings, watercolours and paintings he recorded with almost scientific accuracy the characteristics of the animals and their habitat. It is not surprising, therefore, that his pictures illustrated on the o ne hand legendary reference works like Brehms Tierleben and adorned on the other the popular collector cards of the chocolate manufacturer Stollwerck. The volume shows a comprehensive, exciting portrait of Kuhnert's unusual life and works and takes into account at the same time the current debate on attitudes to Germany's colonial past.

Author Biography

Philipp Demandt is an art historian and director of the Stadel Museum, the Liebighaus, and the Schirn Kunsthalle, all located in Frankfurt, Germany. Ilka Voermann is a curator at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt.