Paula Modersohn-Becker

(German, 1876–1907)

Paula Modersohn-Becker was a German painter best known for her expressionistic self-portraits, scenes of children with their mothers, and moody landscapes. Painted in rich hues and rough brushstrokes in both oil and tempera, her works contain an undertone of mystery. Born on February 8, 1876 in Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Germany, Modersohn-Becker had her first foray into painting after visiting the Kunsthalle Bremen in 1893. This experience prompted her to seek private instruction at the Union of Berlin Female Artists in 1896. Rejecting the domination of the art academies and the patriarchal dominance of the time, the artist often painted herself and other women nude. In 1901, she married Otto Modersohn, the painter and cofounder of the Worpswede Artist’s Colony. In Worpswede, the artist painted alongside her husband and his peers Fritz Overbeck, Heinrich Vogeler, and Fritz Mackensen. Around this same time, Modersohn-Becker developed a close friendship with Clara Westhof a sculptor and the wife of famed poet Rainer Maria Rilke, she and Westhof travelled to Paris on several occasions to see exhibitions and socialize. Tragically at only 31 years old, her life was cut short due to embolism on November 21, 1907 in Worpswede, Germany. The Paula Becker-Modersohn Museum, a private museum and gallery, opened in Bremen in the autumn of 2007, built in the house where she spent much of her early life. In 2016, Christian Schwochow’s film Paula was released, portraying the artist’s brilliant and brief career. Today, her works are found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Kunstmuseum Basel, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Paula Modersohn-Becker News

Google Doodle Honors German Modernist Paula Modersohn-Becker on Her 142nd Birthday

Google Doodle Honors German Modernist Paula Modersohn-Becker on Her 142nd Birthday

by Sarah Cascone
MoMA and Neue Galerie Acquire a Masterpiece by Paula Modersohn-Becker, the Expressionist Pioneer With a Tragic Life Story

MoMA and Neue Galerie Acquire a Masterpiece by Paula Modersohn-Becker, the Expressionist Pioneer With a Tragic Life Story

by Sarah Cascone
Must-See Art Guide: Berlin

Must-See Art Guide: Berlin

by Tatiana Berg
At St. Etienne, Paula Modersohn-Becker Out-Currins John Currin

At St. Etienne, Paula Modersohn-Becker Out-Currins John Currin

by Blake Gopnik

Paula Modersohn-Becker Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Paula Modersohn-Becker (562 results)
Sitzende Alte

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzende Alte

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Häusergruppe hinter Baumstämmen, 1898–1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Häusergruppe hinter Baumstämmen, 1898–1899

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Mother and sleeping child

Attributed to Paula Modersohn-Becker

Mother and sleeping child

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Buchenallee, 1897–1898

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Buchenallee, 1897–1898

Sale Date: November 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Birkenallee

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Birkenallee

Sale Date: November 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Sitzende Alte

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzende Alte

Sale Date: November 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Sitzender Mädchenakt, 1900–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzender Mädchenakt, 1900–1902

Sale Date: June 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Die Gänsemagd, 1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Gänsemagd, 1899

Sale Date: May 31, 2014

Auction Closed

Kleine Landschaft, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Kleine Landschaft, 1902

Sale Date: May 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Kopf eines italienischen Mädchens, 1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Kopf eines italienischen Mädchens, 1906

Sale Date: May 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Rotes Haus. Verso: Landschaft mit..., 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Rotes Haus. Verso: Landschaft mit..., 1903

Sale Date: May 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Junge am birkenstamm im gras liegend (Young..., 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Junge am birkenstamm im gras liegend (Young..., 1902

Sale Date: February 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Birkenstämme vor scheune (Birch trees in..., 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Birkenstämme vor scheune (Birch trees in..., 1900

Sale Date: February 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Blinde Frau im Walde (Klavier spielende Frau)

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Blinde Frau im Walde (Klavier spielende Frau)

Sale Date: December 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Die Gänsemagd

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Gänsemagd

Sale Date: December 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Die Gänsemagd, 1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Gänsemagd, 1899

Sale Date: November 29, 2013

Auction Closed

Zwei Bäume am Weg, 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Zwei Bäume am Weg, 1903

Sale Date: November 28, 2013

Auction Closed

Landschaft mit Busch und roten Häusern, 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Landschaft mit Busch und roten Häusern, 1900

Sale Date: November 28, 2013

Auction Closed

Sitzende Alte

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzende Alte

Sale Date: November 26, 2013

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: November 26, 2013

Auction Closed

Auf einem Stuhl sitzendes Mädchen mit Kind..., 1904

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Auf einem Stuhl sitzendes Mädchen mit Kind..., 1904

Sale Date: November 28, 2013

Auction Closed

Landschaft mit Moortümpel, 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Landschaft mit Moortümpel, 1900

Sale Date: November 28, 2013

Auction Closed

Landschaft mit Birkenstamm, 1901

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Landschaft mit Birkenstamm, 1901

Sale Date: November 23, 2013

Auction Closed

Landschaft mit Busch und roten Häusern...

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Landschaft mit Busch und roten Häusern...

Sale Date: June 20, 2013

Auction Closed

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