- Tanz im Varieté was painted by the German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
A painting by an artist who was banned by the Nazis and labeled “degenerate” by the regime has sold for an incredible £6 million.
The painting Tanz im Varieté, previously painted only in black and white photographs, painted by the German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, appeared in a Berlin auction house earlier this year.
Kirchner, known for his abstract works, was included on the Nazis’ list of “degenerate art,” in which more than 600 of his works were sold or destroyed under the regime.
Tanz im Varieté was thought to be among them, never to be seen again, until it resurfaced in what art historians have called a “sensation.”
The painting, dating from 1911, shows a black man and a white woman performing the pie dance among a crowd at a party, a dance that became popular among African-American dancers throughout Europe in the early 20th century.
The painting Tanz im Varieté depicts a black man and a white woman dancing the cake among a crowd at a party, a dance that became popular among African-American dancers throughout Europe in the early 20th century.
Although the painting was owned by a jewelry designer in 1944, it was kept hidden in a sturdy box in a farmhouse in the countryside.
Having remained protected from aerial bombing and the risk of being found by the Nazi Party, the box was discovered in 1945.
When French troops took the town where the painting was kept, they discovered that the canvas had been damaged by a bullet and stabbed with a bayonet.
Auction house Ketterer Kunst said a bullet hit the head of one of the dancers on the left, while the dancer’s torso was pierced.
After the French soldiers abandoned the box with the painting, it could be rescued and restored.
The owner of the piece then gave the painting to his two sons in 1980, on his 75th birthday, and asked them to display it to the public in the future.
While the painting has since been sold, the previous owners chose to remain anonymous.
Although the previous damage can still be seen on the back of the work, it was sold at the Ketterer Kunst on Friday for an enormous sum.
The sale exceeded the auction house’s expectations by reaching €6,958,000 (£5,875,509), more than double the €2,000,000 that had been previously estimated.
German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was included on the Nazis’ list of “degenerate art,” in which more than 600 of his works were sold or destroyed under the regime.
Commenting on its sale, the auction house said: “The work has literally been waiting in the wings of art history for a century to step into the spotlight,” according to The independent.
He went on to say that the painting “is a tribute to the golden age of artists who, before the First World War, sent audiences into ecstasy with their dance performances.”
Kirchner died in Switzerland in 1938 in what was believed to be a suicide at the time due to his belief that the Nazis would invade Switzerland, which ultimately never turned out to be the case.
However, historians have since favored the possibility that another individual shot him in the heart.
Theories trying to find those responsible for the artist’s death include his partner, neighboring farmers or the local Nazis who pulled the trigger.
To this day, the actual circumstances surrounding his death remain uncertain.