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German & Austrian Paintings

In Germany and Austria, the avant-garde opened with secession movements in Berlin, Munich, and Vienna. The Viennese Secession celebrated architecture, design, and fine art as equals. The influential Bauhaus art school grew out of Viennese Secession ideals.

Die Brücke, the first German Expressionist group, formed in Dresden in 1905. Die Brücke created unbalanced scenes with clashing colors, and the artists worked especially in woodcut. In 1911, Der Blaue Reiter formed in Munich. It was interested in spiritual principles, represented by the animal kingdom in paintings and experimentation with color interaction.

The second generation of German Expressionists, called Neue Sachlichkeit, used figurative art to brutally critique the state of affairs as the Nazi party rose to prominence. A branch of the international Dada movement formed in Berlin in 1918. Dada critiqued current affairs through all the arts including literature, painting, and performance.

The Nazi party halted the avant-garde in Germany and Austria until the end of World War II. Afterward, to update the German public on art currents, Germany created the quinquennial Documenta art exposition. First held in 1955, Documenta has expanded to equal the Venice Biennale in prestige and importance.


Quick Facts

  • Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky were the founders of Der Blaue Reiter in 1911
  • On February 4, 2015, Christie’s London sold Marc’s "Springendes Pferd," 1913, for £2.5 million
  • A painting by Wassily Kandinsky, "Entwurf zu ‘Improvisation mit rot-blauem Ring,’"1913, fetched $4.5 million at Christie’s New York on May 14, 2015

Recommended Items at Auction

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Paulsen - Jerusalem Church Bruges
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Paulsen - Jerusalem Church Bruges
by Auktionshaus Schramm
Est: €120- €150
€1201 Bid
Koch-Stetter - Dorfstraße
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Koch-Stetter - Dorfstraße
by Auktionshaus Schramm
Est: €900- €1,200
€9001 Bid
Braun & Hogenberg, Ansicht Dresden
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Braun & Hogenberg, Ansicht Dresden
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€801 Bid
Rudolf Poeschmann, "Bei Amtmann's zu Gaste"
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Rudolf Poeschmann, "Bei Amtmann's zu Gaste"
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€2401 Bid
Walter Prescher van Ed, Blumenstillleben
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Walter Prescher van Ed, Blumenstillleben
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€801 Bid
Warburg - Sylt
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Warburg - Sylt
by Auktionshaus Schramm
Est: €200- €250
€2001 Bid
Runge - Baltic Sea near Bülck
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Runge - Baltic Sea near Bülck
by Auktionshaus Schramm
Est: €320- €400
€3200 Bids
Johannes Carlé, Am Burgteich
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Johannes Carlé, Am Burgteich
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€200 Bids
Manfred Feiler, In Venedig
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Manfred Feiler, In Venedig
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€800 Bids
Siegfried Ratzlaff, "Maler sind auch Gaukler"
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Siegfried Ratzlaff, "Maler sind auch Gaukler"
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€3300 Bids
Robert Schmidt, attr., Pfeife rauchende Männer
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Robert Schmidt, attr., Pfeife rauchende Männer
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€800 Bids
Plauen aus dem „Politischen Schatzkästlein“
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Plauen aus dem „Politischen Schatzkästlein“
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€800 Bids
Matthäus Merian der Ältere, Ansicht von Plauen
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Matthäus Merian der Ältere, Ansicht von Plauen
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
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Albert Hennig, Paar Portraits
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Albert Hennig, Paar Portraits
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€1000 Bids
Adolf Schuhknecht, Alpiner Bergsee
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Adolf Schuhknecht, Alpiner Bergsee
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€1000 Bids
Gotsch - Garden of the Villa Romana
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Gotsch - Garden of the Villa Romana
by Auktionshaus Schramm
Est: €640- €800
€6000 Bids
Georg Höhlig, Sennerin beim Heu wenden
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Georg Höhlig, Sennerin beim Heu wenden
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€800 Bids
Max Carl Krüger, attr., An der Landstraße
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Max Carl Krüger, attr., An der Landstraße
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€200 Bids
Hermann Vogel, Vignette mit Damenportrait
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Hermann Vogel, Vignette mit Damenportrait
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€1200 Bids
Hermann Vogel, Buchillustration "Der graue Stein"
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Hermann Vogel, Buchillustration "Der graue Stein"
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€2400 Bids
Hermann Vogel, Portraitfoto
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Hermann Vogel, Portraitfoto
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€800 Bids
"Album der Obererzgebirgischen Staats-Eisenbahn"
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
"Album der Obererzgebirgischen Staats-Eisenbahn"
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€1200 Bids
Dr. Eduard Sommer, "Saxonia" erster Band
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Dr. Eduard Sommer, "Saxonia" erster Band
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€1200 Bids
Carl Oskar Arends, Zwei Zeichnungen
May 24, 10:00 AM CEST
Carl Oskar Arends, Zwei Zeichnungen
by Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH
Est: €0- €0
€200 Bids

Sellers Who Sell German & Austrian Paintings


Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH

Auktionshaus Mehlis GmbH

Auktionshaus Schramm

Auktionshaus Schramm