On the Provenance

Max Liebermann’s self-portrait once belonged to the collection of Bernhard and Cäcilie Markus in Berlin. Bernhard Markus (1875–1934) was survived by his wife, Klara Cäcilia (“Cäcilie”) Markus (1888–1944, née Lewin, later remarried Beermann), who was murdered in Auschwitz later. The couple had two sons, Heinz (“Henry”) Jacob Markus (1910–1981) and Fritz Günther Markus (1912–1973), who emigrated in 1937/38 to Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe) and South Africa, respectively.

The work was offered for sale in June 1932 from the Markus collection at the Berlin auction house “Continental” (Fritz Rosenfeld). However, no evidence has been found that the painting was actually sold at this auction. Some works by Max Liebermann were taken into exile by the two sons and later entered the art market. This self-portrait was not among them. It is also known that, as a result of persecution, Cäcilie Markus transferred other works from her possession to a non-Jewish relative in Germany, presumably for safekeeping. The present painting, however, cannot be documented within this context either. Due to a gap in the provenance between 1932 and 1955 a loss due to Nazi persecution cannot be excluded. As a result, a just and fair solution was reached in spring 2026 with the heirs of Bernhard and Cäcilie Markus.