Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann
12 of the rediscovered flower paintings in oil from 1926 to 1952

Why can it be exciting to look for missing works of art? Even gold-buyers know that one can find a lot in the search for gold or nothing at all. This also applies to works of art. But works of art are about more than gold:

Gold is and always is only gold - the material remains the only important thing. Works of art are often more. Anyone who wants to discover works of art is looking for hitherto unknown works, mysterious about the artist, about their social network, about their work, etc. These were also the aims of our search. Surprisingly, we have found. Also quite private. Here is the latest about the search. We want to decipher 52 flower paintings. For 12 paintings our results are published here

151602_ cowslip with butterfly in front of young fern Tempera - oil cardboard box 1929 25x24 cm first owner Anina Schad, family Schad-Blos

The cowslip with the butterfly painted Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann for her Patenkind Anina Schad in 1929. (Information from AK 1929, p. 21). Anina was the daughter of her best friend since the Karlsruher student time. Today, the important portrait of the mother is exhibited at the Museum Lenbach-Haus in Munich. His title: "Portrait of a Doctor (Dr.med.Ruth Schad-Blos)". You can find it in the gallery with the WVZ-Nr. 151101

Until her death, the daughter of Dr. Ruth Schad-Blos sought the painting in the Haus der Kunst. It was only by the publication of her entire name in the death statement (FAZ) it became clear that it had been exhibited for many years at the Museum Lenbach-Haus in Munich.

The original of the small picture "cowslip .." we look further in the circle of the large family Schad-Blos - please help us!

151609_Sommerblumen in Frau Weißens old glass vase oil canvas 1941 - exhibited in the house of art around 1941 First owner. Rector H, Ravensburg

The painting can be a commissioned work from 1941: The artist should be based on her early flower pictures, with which she is exceedingly successful. A colorful bouquet with a dark brown background was desired. It was to be painted in a white woman's vase, which was then repeated in the title.

The painting looks very ornate. There is as little to be found of the spirit of the Old Masters as of the New Objectivity. But that was not the issue in the Third Reich. It should above all impress others. And the refined artistic work of Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann is also impressive today.

151610_Smal bouquet of crocus in vase of glass oil - canvas 1930 38x28 cm 1. owner Albert Dethleffs

The painting belonged to Fridels's father-in-law: Albert Dethleffs. Together with his brother he had inherited the whip factory founded in 1830 in Isny. After the First World War the sale of whips went back. The brothers reintroduced ski poles into their program. Albert Dethleffs was an ambitious entrepreneur who exported the whips early to Russia, Arabia, and so on. He traveled all countries, despite the fatal difficulties.

Albert Dethleffs - painted in 1947 by Adolf Martin

His relationship with his daughter-in-law was problematic from the start: he did not believe that the artist "Fridel" would "give" the necessary inheritance for the manufacturer. Unfortunately, he was right; Which did not improve the ratio of the two.

It is surprising that Albert Dethleffs had the tender painting of the 1930 painted crocuses. Albert Dethleffs supported artists who were to him. But his style was as sober as his portrait painted by Adolf Martin in 1947:

Perhaps that was the reason why he gave the delicate painting to his doctor - Dr. Vogt in Isny.

151611_ Siberian poppy _Oil canvas_1930_59x50 cm first owner family W. in Ottersweier

We were lucky - we found the original and its history. It has been owned by the W. family from Ottersweier since 1930. Family W. was the owner of a textile house, which later moved to Bühl.

As it is today, it is very rare that artists and buyers come from the same place. Even more rarely, the neighbors have a distinctive taste of art. Pictures like the & quot; Siberian Mohn & quot; Were either bought in Karlsruhe or Berlin - but almost never in smaller cities.

The family W. was able to afford this cultural luxury - but her Aunt Liesel S was a close friend of Fridel. Meanwhile the daughter - Mrs. B. - protects the precious painting. It is carefully restored and then photographed. The & nbsp; luminance of the colors will then correspond to the original. We have been able to present the results since July 2017:

The new photo of the restored original can be found under & quot; Search for works of art & quot; With the WVZ-Nr 151611 beside the old photo. We thank the owner for her willingness to restor

151613_ Marsh Dots Flowers oil canvas 1931 34x44 cm first owner Reichsaußenminister von Ribbentrop, Deutsches Reich

In 1939 the painting was exhibited in the House of Art Munich. In 1939, it was purchased by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joachim von Ribbentrop. In 1939 Ms Dethleffs confirmed the purchase of Mr. von Ribbentrop: the document was found in the archive of Dethleffs.

Probably the painting has been acquired by a dealer for Ribbentrop. Earlier there were no confirmed contacts between Minister von Ribbentrop and Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann.

The name of the painting "Swamp Dots" fits the "negotiating skill" of the Nazi minister. He had closed the German-Soviet non-aggression pact with Molotov for Stalin. Stalin could then believe that the danger of war between the Soviet Union and the German Reich was banished. Hitler used this deception to attack Poland with a lightning war.

We found a photo of the painting in black and white. We are looking for the colored painting - even if it has probably not survived the Second World War. Perhaps it is also found in a Russian museum. This would be important because only then would the quality of the work be properly assessed.

It could also be symbolic, however, that we now only have a black and white photo of the colored painting.

151614 Pink Camellia oil canvas 1926 68 x 55 cm first owner city Karlsruhe

There are paintings that seem to have disappeared from the ground. This is understandable in war zones. In the Second World War no major city was spared the war.

The painting has been purchased by the artist according to AK 1926, p. 12 from the "Badische Staat für 350 RM". It is said to have found its place in the anteroom of the Lord Mayor of Karlsruhe.

The otherwise very critical artist judges the Rosa Camellia as "one of the best works on the way to the New Objectivity". It was exhibited among other things. In Karlsruhe and Mannheim by the Kunstverein Badischer Künstler; In Elbefeld and Essen there were exhibitions organized by the Karlsruhe artist and professor von Volkmann, Baden-Baden.

We ourselves often experience much distrust in our research. We are not looking for the paintings for us. We want to publish the work "only" in our gallery Dethleffs. This includes above all her best works. How should art historians be able to comprehensively assess the work of the artist without having seen the complete collection as complete as possible?

151615_Strauss in Florentine glass vase Oil - canvas 1952 67x54 cm

The painting is a stroke of luck: it belongs to the Kreissparkasse Ravensburg. We asked the management in Ravensburg for a photo. After a few days it was sent to us by the branch in Aulendorf, with all important historical and artistic details. We sincerely thank Ravensburg and Aulendorf for this.

This cooperation reminded us of the talks with Mr. Janausch, the former board of the bank. For him art promotion was not a PR measure but a self-commitment for the bank of the district of Ravensburg. He himself sought contact with Fridel and Ursula Dethleffs. He knew not only the artists. He also knew your strengths and weaknesses.

The "bouquet in Florentine glass vase" comes from the period between concrete and abstract art. The balance between the simple, concrete glass vase and the resolving flowers corresponds to the quality of the artist.

151618 _FDE_Peonies - oil canvas 1927 first owner Mrs. K Stuttgart Echterdingen

The owner of the painting also purchased three oil paintings with flowers. Of the "Peonies" from 1927, Fridel Dethleffs was very difficult to separate: after 1945, she did not want to sell paintings from the period around the Neue Sachlichkeit. Since the collector E.K. From Stuttgart-Echterdingen had decided at the same time for 3 flower paintings, she could break the spell. Especially since all 3 paintings should decorate the house of the art-lovers.

Neither in the AK of the artist nor in the folder 4.0 "sold works" could we find entries. Our written attempt to ask the owner for information has so far not been answered - often on the back of the pictures are handwritten notes of the artist, which are valuable. We will continue to search.

151622 Blue ostrich in glass vase oil canvas 1949 first owner Herbert Schiff, Meißenheim AK no entry

The name Schiff - the birth name of the mother of the artist - appears twice in the paintings: here at the "Blaue Strauß" and then at the "Portrait Hermann Schiff" WVZ 152008:

During a visit to Meissenheim, Fridel painted her cousin. To the New Objectivity was that the models are not beautified. Thus, in the image of the cousin, it was clear that the boy had problems with one foot- he was handicapped. With the picture she wanted to make her cousin a joy - she gave it to him. < br> On her next visit to Meissenheim, she looked for the picture in the house of the relatives. It was nowhere to be found. She asked her cousin. At first he gave up the questions. Fridel did not give in, and then she learned: The picture is in the memory:Her cousin disturbed his disability every day. He did not want to see it in his picture either. Fridel accepted the rationale immediately. She took the picture to Isny. On her next visit to Meißenheim, her cousin could choose his picture from three pictures. He chose "Blue ostrich in glass vase". With the WVZ-Nr in our gallery 152008

[Translate to englisch:] 151630 Stillleben mit Winterastern Öl-Karton 1928, 66x52 cm AK 1928 S. 20 erster Besitzer Württembergischer. Kunstverein Stuttgart

The search for correct information about the painting became more difficult than expected. Since the high artistic quality was confirmed, we could not give up for the time being.

The data in the folder "Sold works" had first referred to the city of Karlsruhe. However, this search was unsuccessful.
On the last page of the year 1928, the re-examination revealed the following in small letters:


Still life with winter asters: 1928 - 66.5 x 52.5 cm; Glasses, apple, book, ... Jug with straw-flowers, on black background. To this the artist's reference: "Later reworked - now a generous work, clear, strict. Purchase: At a later exhibition of the Württenberg Kunstverein Stuttgart (1935) "
The search is now going again: If the city of Stuttgart was the buyer, the result is likely to be found more quickly; If it was a collector, it will be more difficult.

151638 "Löwenzahn" or "View of the Elbe" oil-board 1935 - AK 1935, p.62 first owner Stadtbaumeister Friedrichshafen

The still life was created in 1934 on the first journey of the Dethleffs family with their living car - see also our exhibition: here in the gallery Dethleffs: Dethleffs: 1934 1. Reisebericht Wohnauto.
(In the documents of the artists there are always jumps in the date: here from 1934 to 1935 - that makes the work tedious.) Mrs. Dethleffs went over it with the sentence: artists are not historians!)

In 1971 a very retrospective exhibition by F.Dethleffs-Edelmann was shown in Friedrichshafen. The picture was probably sold to the town builder of the city Friedrichshafen. In the meantime, it has still to be clarified. We are grateful for any help.

151641 Bouquet in front of an old peasant oil canvas 1930 AH 1930, p. 28 first owner: Hermann Tiebert

The friendship between the Dethleffs and Tiebert families developed in Karlsruhe. Emmy, the wife of Hermann, was a friend of Fridel. As a student, Hermann joined in, and later in Isny, Arist Dethleffs added the group.

Drawn and painted, Fridel and Hermann always have a lot in common. Her education at the Badische Landeskunstschule in Karlsruhe has linked her all her life. Sometimes they worked together in nature. Time in the house of the Tieberts in Unterried. Time at Dethleffs in Isny.

The New Objectivity was their artistic point of departure, which, however, they have involved quite differently in their work throughout their lives.

Fridel presented the "bouquet in front of the old farmhouse" to her friend Hermann in the studio in 1930. Fridel wrote the commentary by Hermann: "H. Tiebert liked very well. "We do not know yet whether the bouquet was bought by H. Tiebert himself, but this will be cleared up with the family of Tiebert. The year 1930, however, shows that the New Baroque style of flower pictures had already been shaped before the Nazi period of 1933.

PS: In the texts is always referred back to the working calendar (= AK) by Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann. He is the artist's private artistic absolute. That is why we can cite it very carefully. It can only be published on the 100th anniversary of the artist's death.