National Gallery acquires first Ferdinand Hodler painting in an English public collection with daring alpine landscape
Issued October 2022
The National Gallery has acquired its first painting by Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918), the leading Swiss artist of the turn of the 20th century. The Kien Valley with the Bluemlisalp Massif, an astonishing alpine landscape painted in 1902, is the second work of Hodler’s in a UK public collection, after 'Lake Thun and the Stockhorn Mountains' was acquired by the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, in 1975.
Hodler spent the summer of 1902 in the Bernese Oberland, painting landscapes in and of the Kiental. However, 'Kiental mit Blümlisalp' is unique among Hodler’s work, as he chose an aggressively vertical format for the canvas, exaggerating the steep peaks and the interlacing of the foothills.
Drawing on the Swiss landscape tradition but equally engaging with the international avant-garde, Hodler allied Swiss painting with the most advanced currents of modern art.
Over the last century, Hodler’s fame has remained strong in his native Switzerland but his work only became widely known elsewhere in the last 50 years. From a landmark exhibition at Harvard in 1972 to the Slade Lectures delivered at Oxford in that same year, the reassessment of Hodler began in the 1970s, as scholars saw his work in relationship to Caspar David Friedrich, Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch and other key figures of Northern European Modernism.
Hodler was the first to wed radical formal experiment to the rich and thriving indigenous landscape tradition of Alexandre Calame and his realist successors. Calame was a strong influence on early Hodler works – in 1874, Hodler was the winner of the prestigious Concours Calame; and both artists benefited from the new spread of Alpinism across Europe. The National Gallery currently owns three paintings by Calame.
With intensification of colour – see the bright lime green of the hills in this work –, the decorative clouds and a stacking of motifs that nods to Picasso and Braque’s Cubist landscapes as well as Japanese woodblock prints, Hodler brought his audience along with him as his art evolved while always telling the truth about his homeland.
The acquisition of 'Kiental mit Blümlisalp' was made possible through funding from the National Gallery Trust; a generous donation from Athene Foundation in memory of its founder, Asbjørn Lunde; and a number of generous legacies including a significant bequest from the Estate of Mr David Leslie Medd OBE.
Christopher Riopelle, Curator of Post 1800 Paintings at the National Gallery, says: 'I am delighted to add this painting to the National Gallery’s collection. Hodler links so many strands of art movements germinating across Europe throughout the late 19th century, so to make his work available in this public collection feels really important. The colossal scale of nature meets with dazzling colours in this truly arresting painting. I am grateful for the opportunity that acquiring it gives us to tell more of the story of Swiss fine art.’
Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, says: ‘Hodler is new to the cast of artists represented in the National Gallery and he makes his appearance with a striking Alpine landscape that glows on the walls of the Gallery. We are grateful to the National Gallery Trust and to the donors who have enabled the acquisition for the nation.’
Notes to editors
The painting
Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918)
The Kien Valley with the Bluemlisalp Massif
1902
Oil on canvas
Unframed 102.5 × 71 cm
Bought with the support of the National Gallery Trust, the Athene Foundation in memory of Asbjørn Lunde, the Estate of Mr David Leslie Medd OBE and other bequests, 2022
Image
Ferdinand Hodler, 'The Kien Valley with the Bluemlisalp Massif', 1902 © The National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Bellini, Cézanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to enhance the collection, care for the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. More at nationalgallery.org.uk
The artist
Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918) was the leading Swiss artist of the turn of the 20th century. He was responsible for allying Swiss painting with the most advanced currents of modern art, in ferment across Europe in the years around 1900. He led the way in an intensification of colour and abstraction of form which proved influential. While exhibiting across the Continent during his lifetime, not least in avant-garde milieus like the Berlin, Munich and Vienna Secessions, he remained first and always deeply Swiss, most at home in his native hills. Hodler’s international reputation declined precipitately at his death, but has been the subject of significant reassessment over the last 50 years.
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