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Karl YensUntitled (Interior with Bookcase), c. 19101910
1910
$4,000
£3,029.63
€3,479.42
CA$5,605.31
A$6,094.10
CHF 3,231.10
MX$73,052.81
NOK 41,065.61
SEK 37,621.68
DKK 26,004.29
About the Item
Provenance
Consigned to the gallery; By descent to a private collector, Encino, California; Acquired in October 1998 by a private collector, San Carlos, Palo Alto, and Oceanside, California; From John Moran Auctioneers at The Pasadena Center, American Painting Sale, Pasadena, California
UNFRAMED: 10.5" x 9.25" FRAMED: 20.75" x 18.75" x 0.75"
MEDIUM: Gauche
Signed "K Yens 1910" on lower left
Description
This charming interior scene depicts a warmly colored room centered on a tall wooden bookcase stacked with neatly arranged volumes. The bold decorative red wall, patterned with small golden dots, contrasts with the pale-yellow wainscoting and green floor, creating a vibrant, almost whimsical environment. A bench with a colorful cushion rests along the right wall, while framed artworks hang above—details that hint at the personal, artistic life of the occupant. The setting may represent Yens’ own home or studio in San Pedro, California, where he resided in the early 20th century and became active in Southern California’s growing art community. The careful rendering of everyday surroundings reflects Yens’ interest in decorative arts, composition, and design, and offers a rare glimpse into an artist’s private creative space during the period.
Historical Significance
Karl Yens, born in Germany and trained in Europe, immigrated to the United States and became a significant figure in California’s art scene. Best known for his murals, portraits, and landscapes, Yens was also a member of the California Art Club and participated in exhibitions across Southern California. This 1910 gouache is a notable early work, executed during a period when Yens was establishing himself in California. Intimate interior studies such as this are rare within his body of work, making it an important example of his early domestic subject matter.
Exhibited
Scenic Route: A Half Century of California Discovery, 1900-1950, American Legacy Fine Arts, Pasadena, California, August 15 - October 11, 2025
- Creator:Karl Yens (1868 - 1945, American)
- Creation Year:1910
- Dimensions:Height: 20.75 in (52.71 cm)Width: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Pasadena, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: KY-00011stDibs: LU588317250432
Karl Yens
Karl Yens was born in Altona, Germany, on January 11, 1868. He later studied with Max Koch in Berlin and with Benjamin Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens in Paris. He was active as a muralist in Germany and Edinburgh, Scotland, before coming to the U.S. in 1901. During the first decade in his adopted country, he fulfilled mural commissions in NYC and Washington, D.C. After settling in southern California in 1910, Yens was active in Los Angeles and Pasadena before moving to Laguna Beach in 1918. His studio still stands there on South Coast Highway near Ruby Street. Yens died there in 1945. A versatile painter, his oeuvre includes portraits, still lifes, landscapes, genre subjects and many studio figure studies. Equally facile with oil and watercolor, his work is distinguished by its bold, colorful and decorative style.
(Biography provided by Robert Azensky Fine Art)About the Seller
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