The Self Portrait Yellow-Pink by the German artist Max Beckmann was painted in 1943 in the Netherlands. In December 2022, it was sold by the auctioneer Grisebach for more than €20 million (US $20.7 million), making it the most expensive painting sold in Germany to date.[1][2]
Background edit
Together with his wife Mathilde, Max Beckmann went into exile to the Netherlands in 1937 after his works were identified as Degenerate Art by the Nazi government.[3] The two pretended to be vacationing but really were trying to leave for the United States, which they would accomplish only after World War II, in 1947.[4]
In 1943 Beckmann painted the Self Portrait Yellow-Pink in Amsterdam, while awaiting a visa to the United States.[5][4] He painted the portrait for his wife Mathilde “Quappi“ von Kaulbach, who assisted him throughout their marriage by keeping track of his catalogue raisonnee.[4]
Description edit
Beckmann depicted himself standing with crossed arms in front of a mirror in a red frame.[6] The dress he wears is held in yellow and seemingly has fur on it.[6] In contrast to his earlier self-portraits which were painted in dark colors, this one was painted in bright colors.[6]
Provenance edit
The self-portrait was presented by Max Beckmann to his wife Mathilde, who kept it until her death in 1986.[7] In 1996 it came into the possession of a Swiss private collector.[6]
Auction edit
That the portrait was on the market was quite a surprise, and in Germany there was no comparable work of Beckmann on sale since the end of World War II.[6] At the auction its potential price was estimated between 20 and 30 million.[6] The auction house Villa Grisebach in Berlin sold it in December 2022 for 20 million Euro.[5] It was the highest price for any painting sold in Germany and the second highest for a painting by Max Beckmann.[7] It was purchased by Reinhold Würth, a construction entrepreneur of the Würth company.[5] It was welcomed as a good addition to the other Beckmanns in the Würth collection.[7] The portrait was said to be exhibited in the company's art collection and made accessible to the public for free.[5]
References edit
- ^ "Beckmann self-portrait fetches German record at auction". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ "Self-portrait painted during World War II by Max Beckmann auctions for $20.7 mn". The Economic Times. 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ "Nazi-era self-portrait sells for record sum to Swiss buyer". Swissinfo. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b c "Max Beckmann's "Self-Portrait Yellow-Pink": Most Expensive Painting in German Auction History?". Time News. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b c d Scheer, Ursula. "Deutsche Kunstauktionen 2022: Expressionistisch stark". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b c d e f Ruthe, Ingeborg (2022-11-29). "Rekordverdächtige Auktions-Sensation: Max Beckmanns „Selbstbildnis gelb-rosa"". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b c "Unternehmer Würth ist der Käufer von Beckmanns Selbstbildnis". www.monopol-magazin.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-02.