A Set of Two Original Woodblock Prints of 1940s Tahitian Life, by Wolfgang Wolff

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On offer are a set comprised of two stunning, original woodblock prints by the German-born artist Wolfgang Wolff (1909–1994). Wolff … Read more On offer are a set comprised of two stunning, original woodblock prints by the German-born artist Wolfgang Wolff (1909–1994). Wolff was a Jewish jurisprudent and administrative law judge in Germany, and then an artist and political dissident after the Nazi rise. He sought refuge in French Polynesia, arriving in Tahiti in 1938. When World War II broke out, Tahiti's French colonial authorities classified him as an enemy alien due to his German nationality. Despite having fled Nazi persecution, Wolff was interned by the French administration on the island throughout the first half of the 1940s. During this period of confinement, his artistic materials were highly restricted. He adapted by turning to printmaking, using locally available woods to carve blocks and pressing them by hand onto fine paper, eventually settling in the United States.

LEFT PIECE: "The Dancers" captures a vibrant, intimate scene of local Tahitian dancers. Wolff’s style here bridges German Expressionism with local South Pacific subject matter. It shows highly stylized figures utilizing bold contours and rhythmic lines that mirror the movement of the traditional dance. Though executed with block printing techniques, Wolff often selectively hand-tinted or colored elements of these small-format prints (such as the vibrant blue jeans, yellow grass skirt, and red hair flower) to give them individual character and life. The lower right hand corner bears his signature style block inscription, "Wo '43 / Tahiti", dating the piece directly to his wartime internment.

RIGHT PIECE: "Three Nudes," a striking woodcut, represents the core of Wolff's black-and-white expressionist phase in Tahiti. Dated "Wo '42 / Tahiti", the print leans heavily into the Primitivism movement that historically fascinated European artists in the South Pacific (most notably Paul Gauguin). It features three seated and standing Tahitian women amidst dense tropical foliage.

PRODUCTION: Wolff relies on stark visual contrast—using heavy, deeply gouged black shapes juxtaposed against raw white highlights. The angular, carved rendering of the faces and bodies showcases how he utilized the natural resistance of the wood block to create powerful geometric structures, turning a limitation of materials into a defining aesthetic triumph.

Because they were printed under restrictive, non-industrial internment conditions, print runs were typically quite small, produced individually as materials allowed. Each block print serves as a poignant cross-cultural intersection of dramatic European modernism and peaceful Tahitian folklore.

Signature/Maker’s Mark: Pen and pencil signatures (photos #4, 8). Image dimensions: (dancers) 5 inches high x 5 inches wide; (nudes) 6 inches high x 5 inches wide. See less