Among the German Expressionists, artists who used strong color and exaggerated form to express emotional content, Franz Marc was especially committed to his empathic interest in the life of animals. “Is there a more mysterious idea,” he asked, “than to imagine how nature is reflected in the eyes of animals?” Beginning in 1905, he devoted himself to representing the world with a fresh and purifying vision. Marc painted The Bewitched Mill following a sojourn to the Italian town of Merano in the southern Tirol. The work’s title refers to the “magical” harmony he sensed there between human life, represented by the houses and mill on the left, and nature, embodied by the lyrical region of trees and animals on the right.
Date
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Without frame: 130.2 × 90.8 cm (51 5/16 × 35 3/4 in.); 130.2 × 91.2 cm (51 1/4 × 35 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Arthur Jerome Eddy Memorial Collection
Reference Number
1931.522
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Eddy, Arthur Jerome, Cubists and Post-impressionism (Chicago: A. C. McClurg, 1919), p. 115.
Art Institute of Chicago, Exhibition of Paintings from the Collection of the Late Arthur Jerome Eddy, exh. cat. (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1922), cat. 50.
Art Institute of Chicago, A Guide to the Paintings in the Permanent Collection (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1932), p. 33 (ill.).
Art Institute of Chicago, The Arthur Jerome Eddy Collection of Modern Paintings and Sculpture, exh. cat. (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1932), cat. 12 (ill.).
Bulliet, C. J., “The Eddy Gift to Chicago,” Creative Art 10 (March 1932), pp. 213, 215 (ill.).
Art Institute of Chicago, Catalogue of a Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, exh. cat. (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1933), cat. 757.
Rich, Daniel Catton, “German Art in Chicago,” American-German Review 1 (June 1935), pp. 37 (ill.), 38.
Schardt, Alois Jakob, Franz Marc (Berlin: Rembrandt-Verlag, 1936), p. 164, cat. 1-1913-3.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Contemporary German Art, exh. cat. (Boston: Institute of Contemporary Art, 1939), cat. 40a.
Milliken, William M., “Expressionism Exhibited,” Art News 37, 20 (February 11, 1939), pp. 7, 8 (ill.).
Goldwater, Robert, Franz Marc, exh. cat. (New York: Buchholz Gallery, 1940), n. pag., cat. 16 (ill.).
University Gallery, University of Minnesota, German Expressionism in Art, 1905-1935: Painting, Sculpture, Prints, exh. cat. (Minneapolis: University Gallery, University of Minnesota, 1950), cat. 81.
Curt Valentin Gallery, Der Blaue Reiter, exh. cat. (New York: Curt Valentin Gallery, 1954), cat. 44.
Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University, Artists of the Blaue Reiter, exh. cat. (Cambridge, Mass.: Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1955), cat. 54 (ill.), p. 11.
Selz, Peter, German Expressionist Painting (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1957), pl. 101.
William Rockwell Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Art, Some Points of View in Modern Painting, exh. cat. (Kansas City: William Rockwell Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Art, 1957), p. 4, cat. 13.
Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), p. 273.
Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, German Expressionism, exh. cat. (Columbus, Ohio: Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, 1961), cat. 53.
Kunstverein in Hamburg, Franz Marc: Gemälde, Gouachen, Zeichnungen, Skulpturen, exh. cat. (Hamburg: Kunstverein, 1963), cat. 46 (ill.).
Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Franz Marc, exh. cat. (Munich: Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, 1963), cat. 152.
Speyer, A. James, “Twentieth-Century European Paintings and Sculpture,” Apollo 84, 55 (September 1966), p. 225.
Lankheit, Klaus, Franz Marc: Katalog der Werke (Cologne: DuMont Schauberg, 1970), p. 69, cat. 196 (ill.).
Jähner, Horst, Franz Marc: Malerei und Werk (Dresden: Verlag der Kunst, 1972), pp. 19, pl. 10 (ill.), 32.
Lankheit, Klaus, Franz Marc: Sein Leben und seine Kunst (Cologne: DuMont, 1976), p. 161, color pl. 30.
Rosenthal, Mark, Franz Marc: 1880-1916, exh. cat. (Berkeley: University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, 1979), cat. 30.
___, “Gallery Programs/Exhibitions: Franz Marc: Pioneer of Spiritual Abstraction,” University Art Museum Berkeley Calendar (December 1979), p. 2 (ill.).
Gollek, Rosel, ed., Franz Marc, 1880-1916, exh. cat. (Munich: Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Prestel-Verlag, 1980), p. 83 (ill.).
Speyer, A. James, and Courtney Graham Donnell, Twentieth Century European Painting (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980), p. 53, no. 2E11.
Tobien, Felicitas, Franz Marc (Ramerding: Berghaus Verlag, 1982), p. 15 (ill.).
Stadler, Wolfgang, Mit den Augen der Tiere: 25 Gemälde (Freiburg: Herder, 1986), color ill. 21.
Tobien, Felicitas, Der Blaue Reiter (Kirchdorf-Inn: Berghaus, 1986), p. 64 (color ill.).
Kruty, Paul, “Arthur Jerome Eddy and His Collection: Prelude and Postscript to the Armory Show,” Arts Magazine 61, 6 (February 1987), ill. 12.
Pese, Claus, Franz Marc: Leben und Werk (Stuttgart: Belser, 1989), color pl. 88.
Rosenthal, Mark, Franz Marc (Munich: Prestel, 1989), pp. 29, 30, 34, 38, color pl. 39.
Partsch, Susanna, Franz Marc (Köln: Taschen, 1990), p. 52 (color ill.).
Düchting, Hajo, Franz Marc (Köln: DuMont Buchverlag, 1991), p. 128 (color ill. 26).
Schulz-Hoffman, Carla, ed., Sammlung Etta und Otto Stangl, von Klee bis Poliakoff, exh. cat. (Bayerischen Staatsgemäldesammlungen/Staatsgalerie Moderner Kunst/Hatje, 1993), p. 194f.
Art Institute of Chicago and Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Masterworks of Modern Art from the Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat. (Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun, 1994).
Art Institute of Chicago, Twentieth-Century Painting and Sculpture (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1996), pp. 29 (color ill.), 159.
Brücke Museum, Berlin, Der Blaue Reiter und seine Künstler, exh. cat. (Munich: Hirmer, 1998), cat. 70 (color ill.).
Otto, Almut, et. al., Das XX. Jahrhundert: ein Jahrhundert Kunst in Deutschland, exh. cat. (Berlin: Nationalgalerie Berlin, 1999), cat. 164 (color ill.).
Sotheby’s, London, German & Austrian Art, sale cat. (Sotheby’s, October 6, 1999), p. 60 (ill.).
Hoberg, Annegret, and Isabelle Jansen, Franz Marc: The Complete Works (London: Philip Wilson; New York: Distributed in the USA by Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), p. 240, cat. 207 (color ill.).
Franz Marc: The Retrospective, (Prestel), p. 165 (ill.), cat. 76.
Vivian Endicott Barnett, ed. Franz Marc and Agust Macke: 1909–1914, exh. cat. (Neu Galerie/Prestel, 2018), pp. 2 (color ill.); 56; 155, cat. 48 (color ill.); 182.
Chicago, Art Institute, Exhibition of Paintings from the Collection of the Late Arthur Jerome Eddy, September 19-October 22, 1922, cat. 50.
Chicago, Art Institute, The Arthur Jerome Eddy Collection of Modern Paintings and Sculpture, December 22, 1931-January 17, 1932, cat. 12 (ill.).
Chicago, Art Institute, A Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, June 1-November 1, 1933, cat. 757.
Cleveland Museum of Art, Expressionism and Related Movements, January 26-February 28, 1939, no cat.
Boston, Institute of Contemporary Art, Contemporary German Art, November 2-December 9, 1939, cat. 40a.
New York, Buchholz Gallery, Franz Marc, November 11-December 7, 1940, n. pag., cat. 16 (ill.).
Lincoln, University of Nebraska, Survey of Modern European Painting, March 3-31, 1946, no cat.
Minneapolis, University Gallery, University of Minnesota, German Expressionism in Art, 1905-1935: Painting, Sculpture, Prints, October 23-November 27, 1950, cat. 81.
Chicago, Main Street Bookstore, April 14-30, 1952.
Chicago, University of Chicago, May 6, 1952-June 6, 1952.
Chicago, University of Chicago, August 22-25, 1952.
New York, Curt Valentin Gallery, September 20-October 1954.
Cambridge, Mass., Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University, November 1-December 11, 1954.
New York, Curt Valentin Gallery, Der Blaue Reiter, December 7, 1954-January 8, 1955, cat. 44.
Cambridge, Mass., Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University, Artists of the Blaue Reiter, January 21-February 24, 1955, cat. 54 (ill.), p. 11.
Kansas City, William Rockwell Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Art, Some Points of View in Modern Painting, February 10-March 10, 1957, p. 4, cat. 13.
Columbus, Ohio, Gallery of Fine Arts, German Expressionism, February 10-March 9, 1961, cat. 53.
Munich, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Franz Marc, August 10-October 13, 1963, cat. 152.
Hamburg, Kunstverein, Franz Marc: Gemälde, Gouachen, Zeichnungen, Skulpturen, November 9, 1963-January 5, 1964, cat. 46 (ill.).
Berkeley, University of California Art Museum, Franz Marc: Pioneer of Spiritual Abstraction, December 5, 1979-February 3, 1980, cat. 30; traveled to Fort Worth Art Museum, February 23-April 13, 1980, and Minneapolis, Walker Art Center, May 4-June 15, 1980.
Niigata, Japan, Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Masterworks of Modern Art from the Art Institute of Chicago, April 20-May 29, 1994; traveled to Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, June 10-July 24, 1994, and Yokohama Museum of Art, August 6-September 25, 1994.
Berlin, Brücke Museum, Der Blaue Reiter und seine Künstler, October 3, 1998-January 3, 1999, cat. 70 (color ill.); traveled to Tubingen, Kunsthalle, January 16, 1999-March 28, 1999.
Berlin, Neue Nationalgalerie, Das XX. Jahrhundert: ein Jahrhundert Kunst in Deutschland, September 4, 1999-January 9, 2000, cat. 164 (color ill.).
Munich, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau, Franz Marc: The Retrospective, September 17, 2005–January 8, 2006, cat. 76.
Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum, The Age of Picasso and Matisse: Modern Masters from the Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 6, 2013–Feb. 16, 2014, no cat. no.
New York, Neue Galerie, Franz Marc and August Macke: 1909–1914, Oct. 4, 2018–Jan. 21, 2019, cat. 48; Paris, Musée de l’Orangerie, Mar. 6–June 17, 2019.
The artist; Arthur Jerome Eddy (1859-1920), 1913 [Hoberg and Jansen 2004]; by descent to his wife Lucy O. Eddy (1863-1931) and son Jerome O. Eddy (1891-1951), Chicago, 1920; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1931.
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