Kandinsky's Restituted Masterpiece Heads to Auction with $30M Estimate
Wassily Kandinsky's 'Das bunte Leben' (1907) is set to be auctioned at Christie's London on October 14, with a valuation exceeding $30 million (R$ 150 million). This artwork was seized by the Nazis during their occupation of the Netherlands and was returned to the Lewenstein heirs in 2023 after being held in a German museum for over fifty years. Originally acquired in 1927 by Emanuel Albert Lewenstein and Hedwig Lewenstein-Weyermann, it remained at the Stedelijk Museum until the family's assets were confiscated in 1940. Subsequently, it changed hands among various collectors and institutions, including the Lenbachhaus in Munich. At the time of its creation, it was Kandinsky's largest canvas, showcasing multiple figures and embodying Russian tradition. It was also displayed at the 1907 Salon d'Automne in Paris.
Key facts
- Wassily Kandinsky's painting 'Das bunte Leben' (1907) will be auctioned at Christie's London on October 14 during Frieze week.
- The estimate exceeds US$ 30 million (approximately R$ 150 million).
- The painting belonged to the Lewenstein family and was confiscated by the Nazis during the occupation of the Netherlands.
- It was on loan to the Lenbachhaus in Munich from 1973 until restitution in 2023.
- The restitution followed a lawsuit filed in 2017 in New York by heirs Robert and Wilhelmine Lewenstein, aided by Mondex Corporation.
- An independent German commission recommended the return in 2023.
- The painting measures 1.2 x 1.5 meters and was Kandinsky's largest canvas at the time.
- It was exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in Paris in 1907.
- In 2023, Kandinsky's 'Murnau mit Kirche II' sold for £37.2 million at Sotheby's, setting the artist's record.
- Christie's executives Keith Gill and Marc Porter commented on the painting's significance.
Entities
Artists
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Henri Matisse
- André Derain
- Pablo Picasso
- Georges Braque
- Gabriele Münter
- Jan Sluijters
- Emanuel Albert Lewenstein
- Hedwig Lewenstein Weyermann
- Francesca Lewenstein Davis
- James Palmer
- Keith Gill
- Paul Cézanne
- Georges Seurat
- Vincent van Gogh
Institutions
- Christie's
- Stedelijk Museum
- Lenbachhaus
- Bavarian State Bank
- Mondex Corporation
- Sotheby's
- Salon d'Automne
- BayernLB
- Lenbachhaus Munich
- Artnet
- Bayerische Landesbank
- Advisory Commission
- Bavarian state parliament
- Deutsche Presse-Agentur
- City of Amsterdam
- German government's advisory commission on Nazi-looted art
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Munich
- Germany
- New York
- United States
- Paris
- France
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Hong Kong
- China
- Manhattan
- Russia