Painting by ‘degenerate’ artist banned by the Nazis that was feared lost for 80 years stuns the art world by selling for £6million

A painting by an artist banned by the Nazis and branded ‘degenerate’ by the regime has sold for a staggering £6million.

The painting Tanz im Varieté, painted by the German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, was previously only seen in black and white photos and appeared in a Berlin auction house earlier this year.

Known for his abstract works, Kirchner was included on the Nazis’ list of ‘degenerate art’, after which more than 600 of his works were sold or destroyed under the regime.

Tanz im Varieté was thought to be one of these, never to be seen again, until it resurfaced in what has been labeled a ‘sensation’ by art historians.

The painting, dated 1911, depicts a black man and a white woman dancing the cakewalk in a crowd at a party – a dance made popular by African-American dancers across Europe in the early 20th century.

The painting Tanz im Varieté depicts a black man and a white woman dancing the cakewalk in a crowd at a party – a dance made popular by African-American dancers across Europe in the early 20th century.

Although the painting was owned by a jewelry designer in 1944, it was kept hidden in a heavy chest on a rural farm.

Because he had been protected from aerial bombardment and the resulting risk of the Nazi Party finding him, the coffin was discovered in 1945.

When French troops captured the village where the painting was stored, they discovered that the canvas had been damaged by a bullet and pierced with a bayonet.

Auction house Ketterer Kunst reports that a bullet struck the head of one of the female dancers on the left, while the torso of the male dancer was pierced.

After French soldiers left the coffin containing the painting, it was able to be rescued and restored.

The owner of the piece then gave the painting to his two children in 1980, on his 75th birthday, and asked them to exhibit it to the public in the future.

Although the painting has since been sold, the previous owners chose to maintain anonymity.

Although previous damage is still visible on the back of the work, it was still sold for a huge amount at Ketterer Kunst on Friday.

The sale exceeded the auction house’s expectations, raising €6,958,000 (£5,875,509) – more than double the €2,000,000 it was previously estimated to have sold for.

German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was included on the Nazis’ list of ‘degenerate art’, which saw more than 600 of his works sold or destroyed under the regime

Commenting on the sale, the auction house said: “The work has literally been waiting in the wings of art history for a century to come into the spotlight.” The independent.

They went on to say that the painting “pays tribute to the golden age of entertainers who thrilled audiences with their show dancing before World War I.”

Kirchner died in Switzerland in 1938, which was considered a suicide at the time, because he believed that the Nazis would invade Switzerland, which ultimately never turned out to be the case.

However, historians have since favored the possibility that he was probably shot in the heart by another individual.

Theories attempting to find those responsible for the artist’s death include his partner, nearby farmers, or local Nazis pulling the trigger.

To this day, the actual circumstances surrounding his death are still uncertain.