Sale of the week: Emil Nolde’s paintings

Sale: Emil Nolde: Farbe Ist Kraft. Kraft Ist Leben

Location: Galerie Ludorff, Königsallee 22, 40212 Düsseldorf, tel: +49 211 326 566

Date: Until April 17. Images online at www.ludorff.com

Need to know: Emil Nolde’s position at the vanguard of German expressionism has seen the value of his work soar, with the auction record for a Nolde painting – “Rotblondes Mädchen” – currently standing at more than £2m. Born into a farming family named Hansen, in the Schleswig- Holstein village of Nolde, he trained as a wood carver before enrolling at art school aged 22 and becoming a drawing teacher three years later. Nolde (1867-1956), who adopted the name of his birthplace in 1902, had to wait until his 30s before turning his love of drawing and painting into a profession – but he struggled to find his niche within specific artistic groups such as Die Brücke and the Berlin Secession, enjoying only short relationships with each. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Nazi party and believed the expressionist painting style to be uniquely German. The Nazis thought otherwise, condemning his work, displaying examples in the infamous Degenerate Art show of 1937 and banning Nolde from creating more (although he continued to paint in secret). Post-war, however, his talent was once again recognised and he was even awarded the German Order of Merit.

Highlights: Art collector and gallery owner Rainer Ludorff has been collecting Nolde’s works for more than 35 years and this show of 30-plus paintings, watercolours and prints represents just a few of his discoveries. It is highly representative of Nolde’s famous love of colour and interest in flower painting that is said to have been influenced by the works of Van Gogh. The highlight, however, is the one oil painting which has been loaned from a private collection. Priced at €3m, “Wasserrosen” (water lilies) dates from 1917 and was last seen in public 15 years ago at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh museum. There are 10 watercolours on offer (€195,000-€690,000) including quintessential flower pieces such as “Sonnenblumen” and “Dahlien und blaue clematis”, while prints are highlighted by an important colour lithograph of a windmill (€145,000) and more affordable pieces starting at €6,500, some of which date back to 1906.