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

Museums & Institutions

The Permanent Collection: A Female Expressionist's Revelatory Final Self-Portrait

by Adam Schrader
The Permanent Collection: A Female Expressionist's Revelatory Final Self-Portrait
Art World

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

by Sarah Cascone
Google Doodle Honors German Modernist Paula Modersohn-Becker on Her 142nd Birthday
On View

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

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

Paula Modersohn-Becker Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Paula Modersohn-Becker (562 results)
Birkenstämme mit schaukelndem Kind, 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Birkenstämme mit schaukelndem Kind, 1903

Sale Date: May 31, 2013

Auction Closed

Birkenstamm am Moorgraben vor Landschaft mit , 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Birkenstamm am Moorgraben vor Landschaft mit , 1900

Sale Date: May 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Portrait of a young man, 1896

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Portrait of a young man, 1896

Sale Date: May 29, 2013

Auction Closed

Zwei Bauernmädchen, 1899–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Zwei Bauernmädchen, 1899–1902

Sale Date: May 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: November 14, 2012

Auction Closed

Goosemaiden, 1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Goosemaiden, 1899

Sale Date: November 24, 2012

Auction Closed

Zwei Bauernmädchen, 1899–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Zwei Bauernmädchen, 1899–1902

Sale Date: November 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Blinde Frau im Wald (Auch: Klavier..., 1899–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Blinde Frau im Wald (Auch: Klavier..., 1899–1902

Sale Date: November 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Schafhirte, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Schafhirte, 1902

Sale Date: May 31, 2012

Auction Closed

Sitzendes Kind an einer Birke (Kind mit..., 1905

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzendes Kind an einer Birke (Kind mit..., 1905

Sale Date: May 22, 2012

Auction Closed

Stehender weiblicher Akt, 1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Stehender weiblicher Akt, 1906

Sale Date: April 27, 2012

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: December 19, 2011

Auction Closed

Die Gänsemagd, 1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Gänsemagd, 1899

Sale Date: November 26, 2011

Auction Closed

Frau mit Kind, 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Frau mit Kind, 1903

Sale Date: November 26, 2011

Auction Closed

Sitzendes Mädchen mit Strohhut

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzendes Mädchen mit Strohhut

Sale Date: November 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Mädchen mit Ziege, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Mädchen mit Ziege, 1902

Sale Date: November 23, 2011

Auction Closed

Die Gänsemagd, 1900–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Gänsemagd, 1900–1902

Sale Date: September 21, 2011

Auction Closed

Sitzende Frauen (+ Lesende Frauen, Mädchen..., 1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzende Frauen (+ Lesende Frauen, Mädchen..., 1906

Sale Date: June 25, 2011

Auction Closed

Kind mit Puppe am Birkenstamm sitzend, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Kind mit Puppe am Birkenstamm sitzend, 1902

Sale Date: June 22, 2011

Auction Closed

Sitzende Alte, pl. 4 (from Die Schaffenden,..., 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzende Alte, pl. 4 (from Die Schaffenden,..., 1902

Sale Date: June 8, 2011

Auction Closed

Die Gänsemagd, 1898–1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Gänsemagd, 1898–1899

Sale Date: June 8, 2011

Auction Closed

Armenhäuslerin im Garten sitzend, 1907

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Armenhäuslerin im Garten sitzend, 1907

Sale Date: May 31, 2011

Auction Closed

Lee Hoetger vor Blumengrund (study), 1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Lee Hoetger vor Blumengrund (study), 1906

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Landschaft mit Birken, 2010

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Landschaft mit Birken, 2010

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

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