Ewald Rathke (1926-2024) was an art historian with a doctorate in modern art with a focus on hand drawings, watercolors and graphic art; his dissertation entitled ''Bildnistypen bei Frans Hals'' [“Types of Portraits in the Work of Frans Hals”].

From 1959 to 1961, he co-managed the Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen in Düsseldorf together with Karl-Heinz Hering. In 1961, Ewald Rathke was appointed director of the Frankfurter Kunstverein, where he organized exhibitions on Edvard Munch, Amedeo Modigliani and Vincent Van Gogh, among others.

From today's perspective, the groundbreaking exhibition Wols. Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Photos at the Frankfurter Kunstverein in 1966 and the important documentary catalogue are due to Rathke's leadership. In 1970, he opened the Ewald Rathke art dealership in Frankfurt and established himself as a leading specialist for Wols' oeuvre, whereby his expertise in the authentication and evaluation of the artist's works is still decisive today.

The 15 works from the Ewald Rathke Collection span the politically and socially turbulent years 1939-1945. The watercolor Untitled (Surrealist Composition) (c. 1939/40) shows a composition of geometric and organic forms.

The pastel shades of pink, light blue and orange-red evoke the light and landscape of the Mediterranean. The work was created during Wols' internment in various civilian camps in the south of France.

The shapes and colours convey lightness and playfulness, the forms reminiscent of flags and garlands refer to the thought context of dream and theater and show Wols' artistic relationship to Surrealism. During his imprisonment, the artist developed the idea of Circus Wols, an alternative concept to the real world in a combination of art, music and cinema. Art became an escape and survival strategy for him and his artistic companions.