Rare Franz Marc painting smuggled out of Nazi Germany and sold to film director William Dieterle in 1940 to avoid it being destroyed as ‘degenerate art’ is to be auctioned for £35m after the work is returned to original owner’s family

• The oil painting, named ‘The Foxes’, was created in 1913 by expressionist painter Franz Marc
• It was bought by Jewish banker Kurt Grawi and his wife Else in 1928, who smuggled it to the US in 1939 
• Grawi sold the painting to German-American film director William Dieterle to raise money to save his family
•  It is now set to be the centrepiece of an evening sale at Christie’s in London on March 1
• Other highlights of the auction will include David Hockney’s painting ‘David Graves in a Harlequin Shirt’, expected to fetch up to £5million, alongside Lucian Freud’s ‘Girl with Closed Eyes’ estimated at £10 million

A rare Franz Marc painting which was sold to German-American film director William Dieterle in 1940 so it would not be destroyed by the Nazis is now set to be auctioned for £35million after it was returned to its original owner’s family. 

The oil painting, named ‘The Foxes’, was created in 1913 by expressionist painter Franz Marc, who is considered by many to be the father of modernism and was mostly known for his paintings of animals in vibrant colours.

The painting by Marc, who died in 1916 aged 36, was purchased by Jewish investment banker Kurt Grawi and his wife Else in 1928, who then smuggled it to the US after they fled Germany in 1939.

Grawi then sold the painting to German-American film director William Dieterle to raise funds to help ensure his family’s survival and emigration to New York in 1940.

Marc was labelled a degenerate by the Nazis as part of their suppression of modern art in 1930s, meaning the work would likely have been destroyed had it remained in Germany. 

It is now set to be the centrepiece of an evening sale at Christie’s in London on March 1, which will feature other notable works from the 20th and 21st centuries. 

The oil painting, named ‘The Foxes’, was created in 1913 by expressionist painter Franz Marc, who is considered by many to be the father of modernism and was mostly known for his paintings of animals in vibrant colours

The painting by Marc (left), who died in 1916 aged 36, was purchased by Jewish investment banker Kurt Grawi and his wife Else in 1928, who then smuggled it to the US after they fled Germany in 1939. Grawi then sold the painting to German-American film director William Dieterle (right) to raise funds to help ensure his family’s survival and emigration to New York in 1940

After years of hesitation and delays, the German advisory panel on Nazi-looted art urged the Kunstpalast art museum in Duesseldorf (pictured) to return the painting to Grawi’s heirs on their request in January 2022

‘Degenerate art’: How the Nazis censored Europe

The Nazis adopted the term ‘degenerate art’ in the 1920s to denigrate modern art, and during Hitler’s reign many works of internationally renowned artists were removed from state-owned museums and banned. 

Those identified as degenerate artists were subjected to sanctions that included being dismissed from teaching positions, being forbidden to exhibit or to sell their art, and in some cases being forbidden to produce art. 

Nazis began plundering artworks as part of the organised looting of European countries during the time of the Third Reich.

It began with the seizure of property of German Jews, until the end of World War II, particularly by military units known as the Kunstschutz – the German term for the principle of preserving cultural heritage and artworks during armed conflict.

Gold, silver and currency was stolen alongside cultural items of great significance including paintings, ceramics, books and religious treasures.

Many of these items were recovered by agents of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (also known as the Monuments Men) on behalf of the Allies immediately following the war.

But hundreds are still missing as continuing international efforts attempt to reunite items to the rightful owners, their families or their respective countries.

Other highlights of the auction will include David Hockney’s painting ‘David Graves in a Harlequin Shirt’, expected to fetch up to £5 million, alongside an artwork by Lucian Freud named ‘Girl with Closed Eyes’ estimated at £10 million.

Two decades after it was smuggled out of Nazi Germany, ‘The Foxes’ was donated to the Duesseldorf city art collection after German businessman Helmut Horten acquired it in the 1960s.

After years of hesitation and delays, the German advisory panel on Nazi-looted art urged the Kunstpalast art museum in Duesseldorf to return the painting to Grawi’s heirs on their request in January 2022.

However, after just a few weeks of having it in their possession, the Grawis have now decided to auction the artwork.

Christie’s CEO Jussi Pylkkaenen said: ‘This is a painting that will be chased by the world’s greatest collectors.

”’The Foxes” encapsulates everything that we find inspiring about Marc’s work: it has dynamism, sensational colour, incredible balance and a spirituality in its sublime subject which completely draws the viewer into the painting. 

‘Aside from its unquestionable beauty, it is a work with an extraordinary history, both of ownership and of exhibitions, having featured in so many important avant-garde shows over the past 100 years.

‘It is a huge honour for Christie’s to be entrusted by the Grawi family with the sale of a painting of such art-historical importance. Marc, along with Wassily Kandinsky, was a trailblazer of the European avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century who challenged and completely overturned many of the accepted maxims of classical painting.’

The Head of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s London, Keith Gill, said: ‘There is a long tradition of Christie’s selling the very best German art in London, continuing this March with the sale of Franz Marc’s ‘The Foxes’, a work that truly defines Modernism in the 20th century.’

Gill added: ‘A painting by Marc of this pedigree, date and quality has not appeared on the open market for over fifty years. We are delighted to offer our colleagues and our clients an opportunity to view this iconic painting as it is toured internationally for the first time in more than 20 years.’

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