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 (553 results)
Sitzende Alte, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzende Alte, 1902

Sale Date: March 16, 2024

Auction Closed

Landschaft mit Birken, im Hintergrund zwei..., 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Landschaft mit Birken, im Hintergrund zwei..., 1900

Sale Date: December 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Sitzender Junge mit Strohhut unter Birken, 1904

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzender Junge mit Strohhut unter Birken, 1904

Sale Date: December 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Vorzeichnung zur Radierung ,Die Frau mit der , 1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Vorzeichnung zur Radierung ,Die Frau mit der , 1899

Sale Date: December 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Baumstamm vor Herbstlandschaft Verso:..., 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Baumstamm vor Herbstlandschaft Verso:..., 1900

Sale Date: December 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Kinder mit Lampions

Circle of Paula Modersohn-Becker

Kinder mit Lampions

Sale Date: November 23, 2023

Auction Closed

STEHENDE ALTE, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

STEHENDE ALTE, 1902

Sale Date: September 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (Akt)

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Untitled (Akt)

Sale Date: June 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Mutter und Kind, 1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Mutter und Kind, 1906

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Häuser, 1897

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Häuser, 1897

Sale Date: June 10, 2023

Auction Closed

Auf einem Stuhl sitzende Bäuerin vor..., 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Auf einem Stuhl sitzende Bäuerin vor..., 1903

Sale Date: June 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Kinder im Birkenhain, 1905

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Kinder im Birkenhain, 1905

Sale Date: June 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Zwei sitzende Kinder vor Birkenstämmen, 1904

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Zwei sitzende Kinder vor Birkenstämmen, 1904

Sale Date: June 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Sitzender Mädchenakt, 1900–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzender Mädchenakt, 1900–1902

Sale Date: May 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Zwei Bauernmädchen, 1900

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Zwei Bauernmädchen, 1900

Sale Date: May 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: June 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Stehender weiblicher Akt / Sitzender..., 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Stehender weiblicher Akt / Sitzender..., 1903

Sale Date: December 2, 2022

Auction Closed

Seated Nude & Standing Nude (A Double-Sided Work)

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Seated Nude & Standing Nude (A Double-Sided Work)

Sale Date: July 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Sitting child, 1900–1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitting child, 1900–1902

Sale Date: June 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Farmstead in Amrun, 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Farmstead in Amrun, 1903

Sale Date: June 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Die Frau mit der Gans, 1902

Sale Date: June 4, 2022

Auction Closed

Sitzender Mädchenakt

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Sitzender Mädchenakt

Sale Date: June 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Schweizerhaus, 1899

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Schweizerhaus, 1899

Sale Date: June 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Brustbild eines Jungen vor Apfelbäumen, 1901

Paula Modersohn-Becker

Brustbild eines Jungen vor Apfelbäumen, 1901

Sale Date: June 2, 2022

Auction Closed

English (US)

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