Otto Mueller

(German, 1874–1930)

Otto Mueller was a German painter and founding member of the Die Brücke group of German Expressionists. Working alonside Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel, the work of Die Brücke artists was characterized by vibrantly colored figurative paintings that emphasized the primitive nature of humanity. Mueller’s work was often more muted than his peers, using beige tones and flattened forms in depicting gypsy families and nudes in densely forested settings. This aesthetic difference is owed largely to Mueller’s use of distemper on raw canvas which dries to a matte finish. Born on October 16, 1874 in Lubawka, Poland (formerly Liebau, Silesia), Mueller studied lithography early in life, developing an interest in Art Nouveau styles. After first studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, he moved to Munich where he studied under the German Symbolist painter Franz von Stuck. Now considered among the most important German painters of the early 20th century, 357 of Mueller’s works were sized by the Nazis from German collections in 1937 as "degenerate art." Today, the artist’s works are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and The Albertina in Vienna. Mueller died on September 24, 1930 in Breslau, Poland.

Related Categories

Impressionist and Modern Art

Related Artists

Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, Franz von Stuck

Otto Mueller Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Otto Mueller (2,173 results)
Dorfbach mit badenden Kindern, 1925

Otto Mueller

Dorfbach mit badenden Kindern, 1925

Sale Date: May 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Waldlandschaft, 1924

Otto Mueller

Waldlandschaft, 1924

Sale Date: April 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Tänzerin mit Schleier, von einem Mann..., 1903

Otto Mueller

Tänzerin mit Schleier, von einem Mann..., 1903

Sale Date: March 3, 2023

Auction Closed

Sitzende im Grünen, 1927

Otto Mueller

Sitzende im Grünen, 1927

Sale Date: February 28, 2023

Auction Closed

Knabe mit Blattpflanzen (Knabe im Schilf), 1912

After Otto Mueller

Knabe mit Blattpflanzen (Knabe im Schilf), 1912

Sale Date: January 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Mädchen zwischen Blattpflanzen (Mädchen im..., 1912

After Otto Mueller

Mädchen zwischen Blattpflanzen (Mädchen im..., 1912

Sale Date: January 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Polnische Familie (Judenfamilie; Polen), 1920

Otto Mueller

Polnische Familie (Judenfamilie; Polen), 1920

Sale Date: January 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Bathers, Plate 20 from the illustrated book..., 1920

Otto Mueller

Bathers, Plate 20 from the illustrated book..., 1920

Sale Date: December 21, 2022

Auction Closed

Planwagen mit Pferd und Zigeunerin (Covered..., 1927

Otto Mueller

Planwagen mit Pferd und Zigeunerin (Covered..., 1927

Sale Date: November 23, 2022

Auction Closed

Dancing couple, 1910

Otto Mueller

Dancing couple, 1910

Sale Date: December 7, 2022

Auction Closed

Standing gypsy woman with a child, 1926

Otto Mueller

Standing gypsy woman with a child, 1926

Sale Date: December 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Two girls sitting on a dune (1), 1920

Otto Mueller

Two girls sitting on a dune (1), 1920

Sale Date: December 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Zwei Mädchenhalbakte, 1920

Otto Mueller

Zwei Mädchenhalbakte, 1920

Sale Date: December 2, 2022

Auction Closed

Stehende Zigeunerin mit Kind auf dem Arm, 1927

Otto Mueller

Stehende Zigeunerin mit Kind auf dem Arm, 1927

Sale Date: December 2, 2022

Auction Closed

Fünf gelbe Akte am Wasser, 1921

Otto Mueller

Fünf gelbe Akte am Wasser, 1921

Sale Date: December 2, 2022

Auction Closed

Zwei Pferde mit Junge und Hütte, 1924

Otto Mueller

Zwei Pferde mit Junge und Hütte, 1924

Sale Date: December 2, 2022

Auction Closed

Zwei Zigeunerkinder vor der Hütte, 1926–1927

Otto Mueller

Zwei Zigeunerkinder vor der Hütte, 1926–1927

Sale Date: December 2, 2022

Auction Closed

Zwei Badende im Bach, 1922

Otto Mueller

Zwei Badende im Bach, 1922

Sale Date: November 12, 2022

Auction Closed

Ein sitzendes und ein kniendes Mädchen unter , 1920

Otto Mueller

Ein sitzendes und ein kniendes Mädchen unter , 1920

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Mädchen zwischen Blattpflanzen, 1912

Otto Mueller

Mädchen zwischen Blattpflanzen, 1912

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Stehende Zigeunerin mit Kind auf dem..., 1926–1927

Otto Mueller

Stehende Zigeunerin mit Kind auf dem..., 1926–1927

Sale Date: October 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Sitzendes Liebespaar 2 (groß), 1919

Otto Mueller

Sitzendes Liebespaar 2 (groß), 1919

Sale Date: October 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Zwei weibliche Akte, 1929

Otto Mueller

Zwei weibliche Akte, 1929

Sale Date: November 12, 2022

Auction Closed

Polnische Familie, 1920–1921

Otto Mueller

Polnische Familie, 1920–1921

Sale Date: September 28, 2022

Auction Closed

English (US)

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