A long-lost painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner that was labeled “degenerate” by the Nazis and languished in a German private collection for more than 80 years has sold for 7 million euros ($7.5 million) at Berlin’s Ketterer Art Gallery. Diverse Tan (1911), previously thought lost and known only from black-and-white photographs, reappeared at auction on June 7, exceeding its high estimate of €2 million ($2.1 million).
The 4-by-5-foot painting was created during Kirchner’s tenure as leader of the Bridge Group, an artist group closely associated with German Expressionism. It depicts a black man dancing with a white woman at a party, and the vivid colors and highly stylized figures depict a scene of modern life. The work was last exhibited in 1923 at Paul Cassirer’s Salon in Berlin.
Owned by a jewelry designer in 1944. Dancing in variety shows The painting was hidden on a farm to protect it from the Nazi authorities, who often confiscated and destroyed modern or non-figurative art. In 1945, French soldiers stumbled upon the painting’s case and pierced it with bullets and bayonets. Ultimately, the soldiers left it alone, and the painting’s owner eventually recovered and restored the work. In 1980, the owner passed the painting to his two children, who have kept it hidden away from public view until now.
Auction house owner Robert Kettler said: “We are delighted that the painting has finally been sold to the Im Obersteg Foundation and will soon be exhibited at the Kunstmuseum Basel, continuing to delight art lovers.” Around 600 of Kirchner’s works were sold or destroyed as part of the Nazi party’s campaign against “degenerate” art.
