Lot 119
Vojtěch Preissig (1873 - 1944) BLUE BIRD

1903
Coloured etching, paper
53 x 41 cm (h x w)
Lower right "Vojt. Preissig"

Starting price
50 000 CZK
   |   2 000 €
Price realized
240 000 CZK
   |   9 600 €
price without premium

The majority of Preissig’s oeuvre is focused on printmaking, which he studied and developed while in Paris (from Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and others). This print, capturing the fleeting moment when a young woman motionlessly observes a small blue bird, is a beautiful example of the Preissig’s Art Nouveau-style lyrical perception of the world. The print is dated 1903 – the year Preissig returned to Prague, where he was primarily engaged in printmaking and remained until 1910. The Blue Bird motif was used for a six-crown Czechoslovak postage stamp in 1988.