Ernst Samuel Geiger
Lake Biel
About the SessionSpanning 4 centuries of global art history, The International Sale, presents 127 exceptional lots by artists from 27 countries across five continents. The auction highlights masterworks ranging from 17th century European paintings to post-2000 editions by contemporary artist's such as Mr Brainwash (lot 51), Jim Dine (lots 83-86), Isaac Julien (lot 108), Jeff Koons (45), and Lucas Samaras (lot 107 and 110). The sale is anchored by important pieces from Georg Baselitz, Erik Laubscher, Shirin Neshat, and a newly repatriated 1935 portrait by Irma Stern.
The auction's diversity is driven by rare museum-quality highlights, led by Irma Stern's Two Women (lot 31), which returns to South Africa after decades in a Berlin private collection. It is joined by Erik Laubscher's rare recto-verso painting Young Family / Construction (lot 48), an Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat photographic portrait linked to her award-winning Turbulent installation (lot 66), and a uniquely hand-coloured linocut by German master Georg Baselitz titled Das Pferd, Im Wald und auf der Heide Series (The Horse, in the Forest and on the Heath Series) (lot 72).
LOT 8
Ernst Samuel Geiger
Lake Biel
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
signed and dated
Notes
Ernst Samuel Geiger was a Swiss painter and woodcut artist who attended the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau from 1892 to 1896, where he was a classmate of Albert Einstein. After initially studying medicine, forestry, and botany, he earned his doctorate from the University of Zurich in 1900 and taught at various schools in Switzerland and abroad. Settling in Bern in 1908, Geiger initially focused on creating woodcut bookplates, but his artistic passion was revitalised after receiving a federal art grant.
Geiger went on to produce seascapes that established his reputation as a fine artist. In 1918 he purchased the 'Hof' in Ligerz, drawing deep inspiration from the surrounding region; his depictions of Lake Biel are especially popular. Characterised by thick, defined brushwork and rhythmic energy, Geiger's paintings elevate ordinary scenes of Swiss life.
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