A Mill Board worth Millions
In 2005, a previously unknown Kandinsky painting "Two Riders and Reclining Figure" was featured at auction and was expected to fetch upwards of $25 million. This painting, previously unknown to scholars, was thought to have been given to fellow painter Alexej von Jawlensky around 1914, and was a double-sided painting on a piece of mill board. The verso side of this painting was long ago detached and now is housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This painting is now in a private collection.
Two Riders and Reclining Figure
This painting was hidden from the public eye for nearly 100 years...how many other Kandinsky creations are looming in the shadows, waiting to be discovered?
World War II
Like so many other European artists of his time, Wassily Kandinsky's paintings were looted, destroyed and otherwise stolen by Nazi soldiers during World War II. So many valuable works of art fell off the radar at this time, and KandinskyÕs oeuvre suffered greatly as well.
It is said that nearly 60 of his "degenerative art" paintings were removed, destroyed or stolen from German museums during the war. While a good portion of these paintings may have simply been destroyed, it is also likely that they are either still housed in the homes of the German soldiers who stole them, or were sold to corrupt art dealers in the years since the war.
Through researching old gallery and museum records, experts would be able to trace back one of Kandinsky's looted works if they were to be found again. Could that painting in your family living room really be the work of Kandinsky? Contact us to find out.
