Paula Modersohn-Becker

Painted circa 1905-06.

Galerie von Garvens (Herbert von Garvens-Garvensburg), Hanover (acquired by 1913)
Ottenheimer Collection, Cologne (acquired by 1923)
Albert Otten Collection, USA (by descent from the above; sale: Christie's, London, 3rd February 2003, lot 4)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Worpswede, Kunstausstellung, Franz Vogeler, Sommerausstellung, 1910
Hagen, Museum Folkwang; Munich, Neuer Kunstsalon; Jena, Kunstverein & Elberfeld, House of Freiherr von der Heydt, Paula Modersohn-Becker, 1913, no. 44
Bremen, Kunsthalle, Paula Modersohn-Becker, 1913, no. 109
Hanover, Kestner-Gesellschaft, Paula Modersohn-Becker, 1917, no. 79
Hanover, Galerie von Garvens, Paula Modersohn-Becker, 1920, illustrated in the catalogue
Berlin, Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, III Ausstellung. Paula Modersohn-Becker 1876-1907, 1921-22, no. 17
Berlin, Kronprinzenpalais; Dresden, Galerie Emil Richter & Hanover, Kestner-Gesellschaft, Paula Modersohn-Becker. Gemälde, Pastelle, Zeichnungen, 1922
Cologne, Kunstverein, Moderne Kunst aus Kölner Privatbesitz, 1929
New York, Galerie St Etienne, Paula Modersohn-Becker: Germany's Pioneer Modernist, 1983-84, no. 23, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

'E.W.B. Ausstellung in der Kunsthalle in Worpswede', in Hannoverscher Courier, 6th August 1910
Curt Stoermer, 'Das Schicksal der Werke Paula Modersohns', in Die Güldenkammer, October 1913, vol. IV, mentioned p. 67
Curt Stoermer, 'Paula Modersohn', in Der Cicerone, 1914, vol. VI, pl. 4, illustrated p. 10
Das Kunstblatt, 1918, vol. II, illustrated p. 357
Gustav Pauli, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Leipzig, 1919, no. 57, illustrated pl. 17
Carl Einstein, Die Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts, Berlin, 1926, illustrated pl. 25
Alfred Salmony, 'Moderne Kunst aus Kölner Privatbesitz', in Der Cicerone, 1929, vol. XXI, mentioned p. 60
Gillian Perry, Paula Modersohn-Becker. Her Life and Work, New York, 1976, no. 32, illustrated p. 51
The letters and journals of Paula Modersohn-Becker, New York, 1980, illustrated
Josephine Diane Radycki, 'The Life of Lady Art Students' in Art Journal, 1982, vol. 42, no. 1, illustrated pl. 7
Josephine Diane Radycki, Paula Modersohn-Becker: The Gendered Discourse in Modernism, Dissertation Harvard University, 1994, illustrated pl. 70
Günter Busch & Wolfgang Werner, Paula Modersohn-Becker. 1876-1907. Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde, Munich, 1998, vol. I, illustrated pp. 76 & 80; vol. II, no. 631, illustrated p. 451

The canvas is not lined. There is a nailhead-sized spot of retouching towards the lower left corner just below her left knee, and a nailhead-sized spot of retouching towards the upper right corner of the pillow. There are some minor areas of fluorescence visible under UV light, possibly intrinsic to the artist’s medium, including a broken line of fluorescence along the lower right edge. All retouching is visible under UV light. Apart from a thick layer of varnish, this work is in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1905-06, Liegender weiblicher Akt is an outstanding example of Paula Modersohn-Becker's highly innovative and original style of painting. She trained in Berlin and at the rural artist's colony of Worpswede, near Bremen, and in 1901 married her fellow artist Otto Modersohn.

However, in order to discover and experience the work of other important European artists and sculptors such as Cézanne, Rodin and Gauguin, she insisted on spending more time in Paris. Here it was in the art of classical antiquity that she found the 'greatest simplicity'. As the artist commented herself 'I feel that there is an inner relationship between classical art [...] and Gothic art, and also between Gothic art and my sense of form. This great simplicity of form is a wonderful thing. I always endeavoured to lend the simplicity of nature [...]' (quoted in B. Uhde–Stahl, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Stuttgart & Zurich, 1990, p. 70). In its daring choice of subject matter and expressive execution the present work brilliantly exemplifies the artist's longing to convey the inner emotions of her sitters as well as her continuous strive towards a unity that lies beyond the surface.

Günter Busch noted on the artist's avant-garde vision: 'Modersohn-Becker was the first woman to make an independent and significant contribution to the art of the [twentieth] century. More important, she was the first in her country to consciously perceive a connection between her work and the art of neighbouring lands (France, in particular)...The forceful originality of her formal solutions clearly establishes her as a pioneer, an innovator who paved the way for modern art in Europe' (quoted in A. King, Paula Modersohn-Becker, China, 2009, p. 9).   

Fig. 1, The present work exhibited at Galerie von Garvens, Hanover, 1920