Karl Nierendorf
Karl Nierendorf | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | October 25, 1947 (aged 58) |
| Occupation(s) | Art dealer, banker |
| Known for | Advocacy of modern Expressionist artists, founder of Kairos Verlag and Nierendorf galleries |
Karl Nierendorf (18 April 1889 – 25 October 1947) was a German art dealer and former banker, recognized for his advocacy of modern Expressionist artists in both Cologne and Berlin, including figures such as Paul Klee, Otto Dix, and Vasily Kandinsky.
Nierendorf, born on 18 April 1889, established the publishing firm Kairos Verlag, which was responsible for the magazine Der Strom. This publication featured artists like Hans Hansen and Max Ernst. In 1920, together with his brother Josef (1898–1949), he launched Nierendorf Köln Neue Kunst in Cologne. By 1923, they expanded by opening Galerie Nierendorf in Düsseldorf and acquired the Berlin gallery of J.B. Neumann, renaming it Galerie Neumann-Nierendorf.
In 1937, Nierendorf moved to New York City, where he founded the Nierendorf Gallery along with a branch called International Art in Hollywood, managed by Estella Kellen. He passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack on 25 October 1947. The following year, the Guggenheim Museum purchased his collection for US$72,000, which included more than 150 pieces by Paul Klee.
Several restitution cases have involved works that once passed through the Nierendorf Gallery. In 2008, descendants of Oskar Reichel requested the return of "Two Nudes (Lovers)" by Oskar Kokoschka, although ownership was retained by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston after legal proceedings. In 2017, heirs of Kurt Grawi filed a claim for a Franz Marc painting that had been handled by Nierendorf; after disputes, it was restituted by authorities in Düsseldorf in 2021. That same year, nine artworks belonging to collector Eugen Moritz Buchthal were recovered from the Kupferstichkabinett Berlin, having been acquired through Nierendorf.
In 2023, “Die trauernde Braut” (“Mourning Bride”) by Otto Dix, which had passed through Nierendorf’s hands, became the focus of a search request from the descendants of Otto and Käte Ralf, Jewish victims of Nazi-era looting.