Emil Nolde

Born. 07.08.1867 Kreis Tondern/Schleswig Holstein
Died. 13.04.1956 in Seebüll

German painter, Expressionist

About the artist

Hans Emil Hansen was born on 7 August 1867 on a farm near the village of Nolde. As a child, he loved to paint and draw. He decided to become a woodcarver and illustrator in Flensburg and often worked in factories producing furniture as a young adult. Emil loved travelling, often visiting Munich, Karlsruhe, and Berlin.

At 22, he returned to his drawing, and wanting to improve, he attended the School of Applied Arts in Karlsruhe. Three years later, he moved to Switzerland and got a teaching position at the school for the Museum of Industrial and Applied Arts in St. Gallen.
In 1898, as a 31-year-old man, he left his job to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Ironically, he was rejected by the Munich Academy of Fine Arts so he took private painting classes instead. As with a lot of artists at that time, he visited Paris to become familiar with its artists and art scene. He moved to Berlin and became acquainted with collectors and artists who helped to promote his work and decided to change his name to Nolde, the town of his birthplace.

In 1906 he was a member of the artist group ‘Die Brücke’ (The Bridge) in Dresden for one year.
Two years later, he was a member of the Berlin Secession but was kicked out in 1910 owing to personal problems with the leaders. In 1912, times changed for Nolde as his art had become popular and was selling well

Adolf Hitler rejected all forms of modernism as “degenerate art”, and the Nazi regime condemned Nolde’s work. All of his works were removed from museums and some of his works were included in the Entartete Kunst exhibition (Degenerate art) in 1937. In 1941, Nolde was told that was no longer allowed to paint for public or private use and if he did, he would suffer the consequences. Nolde continued to work secretly and hid his work before it could be discovered.

After World War II, as with many other degenerate art artists, Nolde was reinstated as a great artist. In 1952, he received the Pour le Mérite, an award as a recognition of extraordinary personal achievement.

Nolde died on 13 April 1956 in Seebüll.