Hans Purrmann. Watercolors and gouaches

Christian Lenz/Felix Billeter (Eds.)

Published in 2008 by Hatje-Cantz Publishers

The oeuvre of water colours and gouaches includes more than 440 catalogue numbers. The first works date back to the time of his apprenticeship, the last one was completed in Levanto in 1965. Besides Paul Klee, Emil Nolde and the „Brücke“ artists Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel, Purrmann is undoubtedly one of the most qualitative water colour artists in Germany of the 20th century. In the nineteen-twenties and -thirties he created most of his water colour works. Especially impressing are the water colours that were painted in Florence and its environs, showing predominantly landscape motifs, but also the artistic results of his travels to Venice, Trient and the Ligurian coast (Lerici, Monterosso). Also fascinating are his works made of paper that he created during his stays in Ischia after 1950.

This publication is another catalogue of Purrmann’s oeuvre after the catalogue raisonné of his paintings that was published in 2004. For the first time, all known water colours and goauches of Purrmann are completely documented and depicted mostly in colours. The catalogue raisonné is preceded by an introduction on the water colour art of Purrmann written by the publisher Christian Lenz and a comprehensive biography of the artist by Felix Billeter.