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)
Sitzender Weiblicher akt nach Links (+..., 1905

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzender Weiblicher akt nach Links (+..., 1905

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: May 14, 2011

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: December 16, 2010

Auction Closed

Gefaltete Hände (study)

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Gefaltete Hände (study)

Sale Date: December 4, 2010

Auction Closed

Apfelbaum vor hellem Himmel, 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Apfelbaum vor hellem Himmel, 1900

Sale Date: December 4, 2010

Auction Closed

Mutter mit Säugling an der Brust und Kind in , 1905

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Mutter mit Säugling an der Brust und Kind in , 1905

Sale Date: November 27, 2010

Auction Closed

Worpsweder Landschaft mit zwei Ziegen, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Worpsweder Landschaft mit zwei Ziegen, 1902

Sale Date: October 22, 2010

Auction Closed

Liegender weiblicher akt (Reclining..., 1905–1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Liegender weiblicher akt (Reclining..., 1905–1906

Sale Date: June 23, 2010

Auction Closed

Gefaltete Hände (study) (+ Zeichnung eines...

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Gefaltete Hände (study) (+ Zeichnung eines...

Sale Date: June 12, 2010

Auction Closed

Weisse Rosen vor Atelierfenster (+..., 1901

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Weisse Rosen vor Atelierfenster (+..., 1901

Sale Date: June 4, 2010

Auction Closed

Selbstbildnis mit gelbem Kranz, 1901

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Selbstbildnis mit gelbem Kranz, 1901

Sale Date: June 4, 2010

Auction Closed

Sitzender Mädchenakt, 1900–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzender Mädchenakt, 1900–1902

Sale Date: June 5, 2010

Auction Closed

Schreitende Frau in Rückenansicht (study), 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Schreitende Frau in Rückenansicht (study), 1900

Sale Date: June 5, 2010

Auction Closed

Schornsteinfeger und zwei Frauenköpfe, 1897

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Schornsteinfeger und zwei Frauenköpfe, 1897

Sale Date: June 5, 2010

Auction Closed

Studie nach einer Hand (Otto Modersohn) (+..., 1998

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Studie nach einer Hand (Otto Modersohn) (+..., 1998

Sale Date: June 2, 2010

Auction Closed

Sitzendes Mädchen mit Strohhut und Kind auf..., 1904

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzendes Mädchen mit Strohhut und Kind auf..., 1904

Sale Date: May 20, 2010

Auction Closed

Worpsweder Landschaft mit zwei Ziegen, 1902–1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Worpsweder Landschaft mit zwei Ziegen, 1902–1903

Sale Date: April 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: March 31, 2010

Auction Closed

Moorlandschaft mit sich spiegelnden Bäumen, 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Moorlandschaft mit sich spiegelnden Bäumen, 1900

Sale Date: December 5, 2009

Auction Closed

Apfelbaum vor hellem Himmel, 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Apfelbaum vor hellem Himmel, 1900

Sale Date: December 5, 2009

Auction Closed

Sitzender Mädchenakt nach rechts, 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzender Mädchenakt nach rechts, 1903

Sale Date: November 27, 2009

Auction Closed

Landschaft mit Moortümpel, 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Landschaft mit Moortümpel, 1900

Sale Date: November 27, 2009

Auction Closed

Die Gänsemagd, 1900–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Gänsemagd, 1900–1902

Sale Date: June 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: June 6, 2009

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.