Lot 458 D

In terms of its subject and composition Ernst Wilhelm Nay's depiction of Alice Lichtenberg, who was his fiancée at that time, is reminiscent of the figurative works that brought the young artist to Berlin's “Hochschule für bildende Künste”. This portrait of Lichtenberg is also from the period he spent as a student in Karl Hofer's master class, and it presents the sitter with a Sphinx-like, cool expression. Its whereabouts were long considered unknown.
The reverse side of the work features an earlier nude by Ernst Wilhelm Nay, which presumably shows his future wife, Helene (Elly) Kirchner. The artist had painted it over in grey, but the previous owner recently had the full-figure portrait uncovered and restored. In the context of Nay's cordial relationship with both women throughout his life, the meeting of his former fiancée and his wife on a single canvas contains a simultaneously provocative and conciliatory aspect.