A seductive glance over the shoulder, sensual red lips, a hint of permissiveness: Emil Nolde's "Junges Paar" (Young Couple) is one of the painter's rare couple portraits characterized by striking expressiveness. Detached from any spatial context or defining action, the young couple is depicted in a vague color space, yet their contrasting colors and exaggerated forms inevitably attract the viewer's attention. In terms of motif, the work is closely related to the painting "Tolles Weib" (Wild Woman) from 1919, in which the sizzling sexuality hits the observer with full force. In "Junges Paar," however, the atmosphere is more sensual, tentative, and tender, with the emerging intimacy left to the viewer's imagination at this point. As is typical of his figure portraits, Emil Nolde, for whom the portrayal of human relationships mattered more than realistic depictions, successfully created an extraordinary characterization of a young couple at a stage in their relationship when its fragility still seems palpable. In the year the work was created, Ludwig Justi, then director of the Berlin Nationalgalerie and a great patron of German Expressionism, dedicated a separate exhibition room to the artist at the 'Kronprinzenpalais.' It is a wonderful tribute to a painter who was already highly regarded at the time and whose works continue to inspire with their straightforward and expressive visual language. [AR]


The provenance
Nolde's compelling painting comes from the renowned art collection of Georg Mecklenburg (1869–1932). The Chemnitz industrialist, owner of the dye works “Kunath & Mecklenburg,” was a highly committed figure, serving as chairman of the Jewish community in Chemnitz and as a board member of the Central Association of German Jews, among other roles. Last but not least, he was an ambitious collector of progressive art. Initially, Georg Mecklenburg and his first wife Lucie, who died at a young age, compiled an impressive collection. Alongside the present Nolde painting of a young couple, the collection soon included works by, among other artists, Georg Kolbe, Erich Heckel, Carl Hofer, Max Pechstein, and Max Liebermann.

In 1928, the Mecklenburgs loaned parts of their collection to the 'Kunsthütte Chemnitz' for an exhibition, which included our work, as a photograph in the exhibition catalog shows.

In February 1932, Georg Mecklenburg committed suicide, and his second wife Margarethe Mecklenburg, née Pulvermacher, inherited the extensive art collection. Margarethe was also a victim of Nazi persecution. During the pogrom night in November 1938, artworks were looted from the family's home in Oberlungwitz. From 1939 onwards, Margarethe was forced to sell the remaining works to secure her livelihood.

Our Nolde painting was also sold in the context of the Nazi persecution. It came into the possession of Edgar Horstmann in Hamburg. It later found a new home in the important Udo and Mania Bey Collection (Hamburg/Sorgeno) alongside other notable works of modern art such as Nolde's “Meer D” (cf. Ketterer Kunst, auction 535, December 9, 2022, lot 44).


Today, Emil Nolde's “Junges Paar,” a work with a moving history, is offered without any pending restitution claims. [AT]