Oil on academy board
Germany, 1919
Hans Christiansen (1866-1945) – German painter of the Art Nouveau
Monogrammed and dated left center ‘HC 19’
Portrait of the painter Max Liebermann
Dimensions: 90 x 69 cm
Good condition
Provenance: from the inventory of a former Berlin gallery
The Museum Künstlerkolonie, Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt, is showing a retrospective of Hans Christiansen from 12.10.2014 until 1.2.2015, which will later also be travelling to Berlin, Munich and Flensburg; the auction record for a painting of his is currently set at above €30,000

This painting was created by Hans Christiansen in 1919. It shows the portrait of the painter Max Liebermann at the age of 72. The important artist of German Impressionist is depicted in half figure, seated and dressed in a red blazer and green tie. Liebermann is looking directly into the eye of the observer. The background is painted in an airy manner in an apricot shade. A special piece by Hans Christiansen who is predominantly known for his contribution to German Jugendstil.



The painting is monogrammed and dated left center ‘HC 19’. It is in very good condition. It is firmly mounted to the pane of the frame. The frame shows bumps and chips. The image measures 90 x 69 cm and the overall dimensions, including the frame, are 112.5 x 91.5 cm.



Hans Christiansen (1866-1945)

Hans Christiansen started working as a stage painter in Flensburg and moved to Munich to study at the Kunstgewerbeschule in 1888. He travelled to Italy, published a book about the ‘Neue Flachsornamente’ (New Flax Ornaments) and decided to move to Paris to attend the Académie Julian. Christiansen, whose painting has been influenced by the artist’s group Les Nabis and the French Art Nouveau movement, now turned to the arts and crafts. He soon became known for his title pages and advertising designs. He became a professor in 1898 and was called to the Darmstädter Künstlerkolonie (Darmstadt Artist’ Colony) in 1899 where he was one of the first members besides Joseph Maria Olbrich and Peter Behrens. Christiansen moved back to Paris in 1902 and returned to Wiesbaden in 1911 where he worked as a lecturer. As he was married to a Jewish woman he was not allowed to continue his work after 1933. Their Villa ‘Rosen’, which he had designed in Darmstadt, was completely destroyed during the Second World War. His designs are honored in many museums and exhibitions and the Hans-Christiansen-Haus in Flensburg is named after him. (tmi)

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