Thilo Maatsch (1900-1983) Untitled (1924) Woodcut on Verge Paper, glue on paper. Dimensions : 15.5 x 14.5 cm Editor : Edition Panderma, Basel Year : 1924, published 1966 Signature : Signed in pencil Biography: Thilo Friedrich Maatsch (1900-1983) was a German constructivist and concrete artist. He founded with Johannes Molzahn and Rudolf Jahns the "Gesellschaft der Freunde junger Kunst" (Society of the adorer of young art) in 1918 which were joined by several distinguished artist as e.g. Lyonel Feininger and Paul Klee. The collector Otto Ralfs supported the society and Kandinsky designed the signet. Maatsch's circle of friends and acquaintances ranked among László Moholy-Nagy, William Wauer and Lothar Schreyer. Kandinsky nurtured Maatsch's talent and he admired him like his own father. Due to financial problems it was not possible for Maatsch to study at the Bauhaus, because of his young family he also had to nourish. But his desire for studies remained not any longer unfulfilled. Moholy-Nagy, Kandinsky and Klee permitted him to study in their studios. Most probably Kandinsky together with the Bauhaus figuered out a permission for Maatsch to attend Bauhaus in Berlin and Weimar in his holidays (he worked as a teacher in Königslutter) without paying fees. In 1925 he joined the November Group and from this year onwards till 1932 he participated annually in the renowned "Große Berliner Kunstausstellung". In 1927 Herwarth Walden, one of the most important discoverers and promoters of German avant-garde art in the early twentieth century, arranged for Maatsch an exhibition in his prestigious gallery "Der Sturm". Determined by the Nazi policy his art work was considered as degenerated and he withered on the vine. ABOUT THE WORK A rare limited edition of the portable collection of post-war and contemporary art La Lune en Rodage. La Lune en Rodage was published in three volumes in 1960, 1965 and 1977 containing a total of approximately 180 art pieces which provide an account of the artistic avant-garde scene between the 1950s and 1970s. The art works were gathered by Carl Laslzo and included the greatest artists of the time who contributed with important pieces, often marking a turning point in their production and carriers: Enrico Castellani’s work for example is his first documented graphic work and Piero Manzoni's multiple Achrome is the only one produced by the artist.