Watercolor / Mixed Media 45x32cm Dated 1932 Signed Henri Pfeiffer

Watercolor, mixed media, signed lower right HP for Henri Pfeiffer and dated 1932.
Annotation on the back dated May 1, 1964, with the signature of Henri Pfeiffer.

Henri Pfeiffer was an abstract painter and student of Klee and Kandinsky at the Bauhaus. He was born on June 12, 1907, in Kassel, in the province of Hesse-Nassau, and died on September 5, 1994, in Maisons-Laffitte, France. He is primarily known for his work on the harmony of colors.

Henri Pfeiffer's work is part of the abstract movement. His paintings and watercolors possess a truly musical harmony, according to his admirers. This characteristic he would explore throughout his life, not only through his paintings and watercolors, but also through his personal research, which is partly detailed in his book "The Harmony of Colors."

Henri Pfeiffer's works are currently collected in France, Germany, England, Switzerland, and the United States.
1907: Born in Kassel to an architect father and a pianist mother. Henri Pfeiffer comes from a family with about ten painters in its family tree, the oldest known being a 16th-century stained-glass painter.
1921: Studies anatomical drawing with the sculptor Carl Menser at the University of Bonn.
1922: Major painting studies with Hans Thuar.
1924: Apprenticeship at the Bauhaus in Weimar.
1925: Conducts special research at the Bonn University of Chemistry with his uncle after the Bauhaus closed. Develops a new technique for painting on canvas.
1927: Creates a new technique for watercolor on paper.
1928: Enrolls at the University of Cologne.
1929: Joins the reopened Bauhaus in Dessau. He attends classes with Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.
1931: Moves to Düsseldorf with Paul Klee. 1932: Obtains his doctorate in Cologne, where he paints and creates his work during his studies.
1933: The Bauhaus is closed again by the Nazis, who forbid Henri Pfeiffer from practicing his art. 1952: Henri Pfeiffer becomes a naturalized French citizen and receives a research commission from France. 1956: His book "The Harmony of Colors" is published by Dunod in Paris. 1959 and 1961: Exhibition of his watercolors in Paris. 1960 to 1985: Henri Pfeiffer teaches chromatology in Paris, particularly at the École des Arts Appliqués and in various universities. His work is regularly exhibited in France and around the world. 1994: Henri Pfeiffer passes away at his home at the age of 87.
Henri Hans is a German-born abstract painter of the Bauhaus movement. He is particularly known for his work on color harmony. His father was an architect and his mother a pianist. About ten people in his family were painters, the most famous being a stained-glass painter in the 16th century.
In 1921, he began studying anatomical drawing with the sculptor Carl Menser at the University of Bonn. He then continued his painting studies with Hans Thuar. In 1924, he began his apprenticeship at the Bauhaus in Weimar. The following year, he conducted special research at the Bonn University of Chemistry with his uncle. After the Bauhaus closed, he developed a new technique for painting on canvas. In 1927, a new technique of watercolor on paper emerged. He then decided to enroll at the University of Cologne in 1928. However, in 1929, the Bauhaus reopened in Dassau. He attended classes under Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. He then settled in Düsseldorf in 1931. The following year, he obtained his doctorate in Cologne, where he painted and created his work during his studies. In 1933, the Bauhaus was once again closed by the Nazis, who prevented Pfeiffer from practicing his art. He fled Germany and became a naturalized French citizen in 1952, receiving a research commission from France. His book L’harmonie des couleurs was published in 1956 by Dunod in Paris. In 1959 and 1961, he exhibited his watercolors in Paris. Then, from 1960 to 1985, he taught chromatology in Paris at various universities, and his work was regularly exhibited in France and abroad. He died at his home in Maisons-Laffitte at the age of 87. Pfeiffer’s work is part of the abstract movement. His paintings and watercolors possess a true harmony that is clearly musical, according to his admirers. It is this characteristic that he will deepen throughout his life, through his achievements but also through his personal research which is partly detailed in his book.