Nazi-looted art: Who owns this expressionist painting? DW 09/05/2025

""A Young Girl" is a portrait of an unnamed girl, painted by German artist Paula Modersohn-Becker around 1901. Regarded as one of the most important representatives of early expressionism, the artist was best-known for her nude self-portraits and a prolific output before dying at the age of 31. Influenced by avant-garde painters of the time, including Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, Modersohn-Becker, who studied in Paris, eschewed the romantic landscape paintings of her colleagues and pioneered modernism in Germany."

""A Young Girl has been in possession of the City of Hamburg and part of the collection of the Hamburger Kunsthalle for 67 years. The painting was donated to the museum in 1958, noted the museum's director, Alexander Klar, in an interview with public broadcaster, NDR. But few other details about the work's provenance are known. "It's a black hole that requires further research," said Klar.""

"As the digital collection of the museum states, the painting was gifted to the Kunsthalle by Elsa Doebbeke, the widow of Nazi party member and art collector, Conrad Doebbeke. He is said to have acquired many paintings during the Nazi dictatorship and often at a low price, especially from Jewish owners. In December 2020, the heirs of Jewish businessman Robert Graetz officially filed restitution claims."

A Young Girl is a circa-1901 portrait by Paula Modersohn-Becker, an early-expressionist painter known for nude self-portraits and a prolific output before dying at 31. Modersohn-Becker drew influence from Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, studied in Paris, rejected romantic landscape painting and helped pioneer modernism in Germany. The painting has been part of the Hamburger Kunsthalle collection and in the possession of the City of Hamburg for 67 years after a 1958 gift. The work's provenance is unclear; the gift came from Elsa Doebbeke, widow of collector Conrad Doebbeke, who acquired many works during the Nazi dictatorship, often at low prices from Jewish owners. In December 2020, heirs of Jewish businessman and collector Robert Graetz filed restitution claims. The museum and the family have commissioned research into the painting's origins.

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