Lot 11

The Collection of Carmel and Harry Crock AO, Melbourne

Early in his career he found inspiration in the works of Rembrandt van Rijn and Francisco de Goya, and at the age of 17 began to experiment with abstraction, using a graphic technique and completely eliminating figurative elements. The death of his father in 1932 severed Hartung's last bonds with his native country Germany. He was rejected from Nazi Germany on account of being a 'degenerate', because his painting style was associated with Cubism - an art movement incompatible with Nazi Germany's ideals. In 1935 when he attempted to sell paintings while visiting Berlin, the police tried to arrest him and he fled the country to France, settling in Paris.