A 1906 self-portrait by German modernist Paula Modersohn-Becker achieved a new world auction record for the artist at auction last week when it sold at Berlin auction house Grisebach. The painting sold for €1.27 million (about $1.48 million), including fees. The work, Selbstbildnis nach halblinks (1906), came to market from the estate of German collector Walter Bauer and carried a presale estimate of at €250,000–€350,000 (about $291,600–$408,300).
The painting, described by the auction house as “museum-worthy,” drew international interest and sparked competitive bidding before being won by a private European collector.
Widely recognized as a pioneering figure in early modernism, Modersohn-Becker was one of the first women artists to depict herself nude, challenging conventions of her time. The new record for her work coincides with a slew of recent benchmarks for women artists at auction. Last month, a Frida Kahlo work set a new record for women artists at auction, selling for $55 million. Meanwhile, in May’s New York auctions, Marlene Dumas’s Miss January (1997) sold for $13.63 million, setting a new record for a living woman artist.
Works from the Walter Bauer collection sold by Grisebach had remained largely unseen for decades. The 120-lot sale of works from his collection achieved nearly €5.7 million ($6.6 million) in total sales—well above its €3 million ($3.49 million) presale estimate—with nearly 90 percent of lots sold.
Other notable results from the Bauer collection included Ernst Barlach’s Der Wartende (1924), which fetched €482,600 (about $562,600), and Emil Nolde’s still life Stilleben P (Grüner Hintergrund, Hirsch, Kopf), which sold for €355,600 (about $414,500). Further highlights across Grisebach’s week of sales included a new world record for sculptor Georg Kolbe, whose Stehende Frau (1915/16) sold for €1.41 million(about $1.65 million).
