William Gear, R.A. (1915-1997)

In 1945 Gear joined the Monuments Fine Arts and Archives program (MFAA). As a Monuments Officer in Hanover, he oversaw the return of artworks from the Berlin Art Collections. Some of these works had been stored for safekeeping in the nearby Schloss Celle, which is where he produced the present lot, as well as lot 159. Gear’s duties also included promoting the work of avant-garde German artists. He arranged a series of modern art exhibitions, including the popular public exhibition Modern Prints. This included Picasso’s Frugal Meal and Kirchner’s Und so Weiter, along with other woodcuts by the German Expressionists.