Ernst Wilhelm Nay

The three-volume catalogue raisonné of the works on paper by E. W. Nay (1902–1968) will provide art historians, art dealers, and every art lover with a long-awaited chance to survey Nay’s oeuvre and gain an understanding of his art. With more than six thousand watercolors, gouaches, and drawings, Nay’s works on paper far outnumber his oil paintings. He was an indefatigable artist who persistently put down on paper his ideas about form and color. The sheaves embody a “journal” of his work and allow the reader to draw conclusions about his work methods. While they document the processes behind his artistic activities and research, these works are at the same time autonomous creations. They impressively elucidate the artist’s ambition and development.