Ernst Wilhelm Nay

(German, 1902–1968)

Ernst Wilhelm Nay was a German painter known for his association with the Art Informel movement and post-World War II artists such as Karel Appel, Jean Dubuffet, and Alberto Burri. Despite working exclusively in abstraction, Nay’s distinctive Expressionistic use of color and textile-like patterning show the influence of representational painters like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and the Henri Matisse. Born on June 1, 1911 in Berlin, Germany, he went on to study under Karl Hofer at the Berlin Art Academy. Nay was on track for a successful career in Germany, until the Nazi regime labeled his work as Degenerate, thereby making it illegal for him to show or even produce artworks. After being conscripted into the Nazi army, the artist served in France where he was able to secretly paint in a friend’s sculpture studio. It was not until a decade after the war with his participation in the 1956 Venice Biennale that Nay made a breakthrough into the international art scene. Today, his works are in the collections of the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Tate Modern in London, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, among others. he died on April 8, 1968 in Cologne, Germany.

Ernst Wilhelm Nay Artworks

Ernst Wilhelm Nay (2,589 results)
C.G. Heise zum Geburtstag, 1965

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

C.G. Heise zum Geburtstag, 1965

Sale Date: December 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1963

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Ohne Titel, 1963

Sale Date: December 2, 2023

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Farblitho 1968 - 2 (NOR, 1968

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Farblitho 1968 - 2 (NOR, 1968

Sale Date: December 1, 2023

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Metablau, 1967

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Metablau, 1967

Sale Date: November 23, 2023

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Untitled, 1955

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Untitled, 1955

Sale Date: November 27, 2023

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Der Vogelmensch und andere, 1945

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Der Vogelmensch und andere, 1945

Sale Date: December 7, 2023

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Orange merkurisch, 1952

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Orange merkurisch, 1952

Sale Date: December 7, 2023

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Waldgeist, 1948

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Waldgeist, 1948

Sale Date: December 2, 2023

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Two Prints by the Artist, 1964–1965

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Two Prints by the Artist, 1964–1965

Sale Date: November 15, 2023

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Zwei Frauen (gelb grün), 1946

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Zwei Frauen (gelb grün), 1946

Sale Date: December 1, 2023

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Ohne Titel, 1956

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Ohne Titel, 1956

Sale Date: December 1, 2023

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Fischer, 1936

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Fischer, 1936

Sale Date: November 30, 2023

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Gelb-Orange-Kobalt I, 1967

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Gelb-Orange-Kobalt I, 1967

Sale Date: November 30, 2023

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Angelika, 1946

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Angelika, 1946

Sale Date: November 30, 2023

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OHNE TITEL, 1966

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

OHNE TITEL, 1966

Sale Date: September 23, 2023

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Farbaquatinta 1965-7, 1965–1967

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Farbaquatinta 1965-7, 1965–1967

Sale Date: February 22, 2023

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Fischer, 1936

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Fischer, 1936

Sale Date: May 13, 2023

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Algraphie 1953-2, 1953

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Algraphie 1953-2, 1953

Sale Date: May 13, 2023

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Fischer am Strand, 1936

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Fischer am Strand, 1936

Sale Date: August 5, 2023

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Farbaquatinta 1963 - 2 (NOR), 1963

After Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Farbaquatinta 1963 - 2 (NOR), 1963

Sale Date: July 12, 2023

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Theodora, 1947

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Theodora, 1947

Sale Date: June 30, 2023

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Purpur und Orange (Purple and Orange), 1958

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Purpur und Orange (Purple and Orange), 1958

Sale Date: June 29, 2023

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NOR, 1966

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

NOR, 1966

Sale Date: June 24, 2023

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Woodcut in colours 1952-4, 1952

Ernst Wilhelm Nay

Woodcut in colours 1952-4, 1952

Sale Date: June 29, 2023

Auction Closed