German Expressionism/Weimar: Georg Tappert
Seated Woman with Garter (Portrait of R.), ca. 1924 (Sitzende mit Strumpfband (Bildnis R.)
Oil on solid painting board
98 x 73 cm
Auctioned at Lehr Kunstauktionen Berlin

Georg Tappert was a German expressionist painter (1880-1957) influenced by Berlin’s vibrant culture. In the early 1920s, one of his favorite models was “Fräulein Rosenberg,” who he painted in various poses. His works capture the lively atmosphere of Berlin’s Golden Twenties.

Tappert studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe and joined the Worpswede artists’ colony in 1906. He moved to Berlin in 1909, where his career flourished. In 1910, he co-founded the New Secession, a group that included artists from Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter. Tappert’s art was known for bold colors and expressive forms, often focusing on portraits and nudes.

He promoted exhibitions without juries, inspired by the Salon des Indépendants in Paris, and contributed to the socially critical publication Die Aktion. World War I interrupted his work, but he resumed teaching and painting afterward. In 1933, with the rise of the Nazi regime, his work was banned as degenerate art, and he was dismissed from his teaching position. Despite these setbacks, he continued to paint, although less frequently. His Berlin studio was destroyed in 1944, leading him to stop painting. Tappert passed away in Berlin in 1957.