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Munch collection banned by Nazis goes on sale A collection of paintings by the tormented Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, which was classified as degenerate by the Nazis and narrowly avoided destruction, has been put up for sale in London by the shipping tycoon Fred Olsen. The
most important and valuable piece, Summer Day, which hung in the National
Gallery,
However, Hermann Goering, the head of the Luftwaffe, took a shine to it and in 1937 had it quietly removed. It was
only in 1939 that, possibly under pressure from Hitler, Goering
agreed to get rid of the picture. It was sent to a sale in
Summer Day's highest estimated value is £3.5 million. It will be sold at Sotheby's next month as part of the greatest collection of works by Munch, the founding father of Expressionism, ever to appear on the market. Fred Olsen's eight paintings and four works on paper are expected to sell for £8 million-£12 million. They include a self-portrait, Horses, a symbolic picture of horses pulling against each other, and Generations, a moody image of Norwegian farmers. Summer
Day could challenge the auction record for a Munch which was set when Girls
on a Bridge fetched £4.4 million in
The Nazis confiscated more than 16,000 works of modern "degenerate" art, including 82 pieces by Munch. Some of the 16,000 works were destroyed, others were sold abroad. Some
of those by Munch found their way to
But
Olsen feared the Munchs could be seized again when
the Germans invaded After his death in 1969, the collection was divided between Fred Olsen, now 77, and his brother Petter. Fred Olsen said he was selling for tax and security reasons. He said: "I grew up with Munch on the walls and have looked at these pictures since I was a little boy. "I know them by heart. Over time it has become more difficult to have them on the walls." |
