The art collector Hermann Gerliner donated to the Nolde Museum in Sebüll all of the works by Emil Nolde in his collection, a watercolor self-portrait by Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff and Nolde's letters to the artist colleague, with whom the collector also maintained a friendly relationship.
The 36 works in the donation include the oil painting "Philister" from 1915, one of Nolde's early major works, along with "Boot und Schilf" from 1909, two watercolours, seven mountain postcards and 23 graphics.
Ursula Scheer
Editor in the Feuilleton.
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In the course of seven decades, the Würzburg-born entrepreneur Gerlinger, who was born in 1931, had built up one of the most important private collections of Expressionist art and in the process became an expert in his field of collection.
His collection numbered around a thousand objects.
Her focus was on the artist group “Brücke”, whose development was to be systematically explored and documented on the basis of the collected works.
Accordingly, Gerlinger wanted to see them presented.
In the form of loans, his collection found its way into three museums one after the other: first in the Gottorf Museum in Schleswig, then in the Moritzburg Museum in Halle, and finally in the Buchheim Museum in Bernried on Lake Starnberg.
However, there was never any permanent transmission.
Instead, the auction house Ketterer announced earlier this year that Gerlinger would auction his collection for charity.
The auction of the first tranche brought in six million euros in Munich in June.
The next tranches are due to be called up at Ketterer at the end of the year, in the “Evening Sale” on December 9th and in the “Classic Modern” auction on the following day.
Gerlinger said: "I took a lot of time for the examination and in the end I had to realize that I would no longer be able to realize my vision of continuing my work for my entire collection during my lifetime." Parts of the collection "would have ended up in the archive or depot if it had been passed on completely." He accepted that.
The fact that Gerlinger is now placing at least part of his collection in the care of a museum and transferring it to the Nolde Museum is a "sign of my great gratitude for the trust that Nolde friend Karl Schmidt-Rottluff has placed in me.
I am convinced that he would very much agree with my decision.” Hans-Joachim Throl, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nolde Foundation Seebüll, calls the handed over bundle “the most important donation” that the house has ever received.