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]


Provenance
Nolde's powerful painting comes from the renowned art collection of Georg Mecklenburg (1869–1932). The Chemnitz industrialist, owner of the dye works "Kunath & Mecklenburg," was a prominent figure, active as, among others, chairman of the Jewish community in Chemnitz and a board member of the Central Association of German Jews. Last but not least, he was an enthusiastic collector of contemporary art. Georg Mecklenburg, initially together with his first wife Lucie, who died prematurely, compiled an important collection. In addition to Nolde's painting of a young couple, it soon included works by 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 its "Ausstellung aus Privatbesitz" (Exhibition from Private Collections). Our work was part of the show and is even depicted in the exhibition catalog.

In February 1932, Georg Mecklenburg committed suicide. His second wife, Margarethe Mecklenburg, née Pulvermacher, inherited his extensive art collection. Like many others, she was persecuted by the Nazi regime. During the 'Kristallnacht' pogrom night on November 9, 1938, a mob ransacked the family home in Oberlungwitz and looted the artworks. From 1939 onwards, Margarethe was forced to sell the remaining works to secure her livelihood.

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

Today, Emil Nolde's “Junges Paar,” a work with an eventful history, can be offered free of restitution claims. [AT]