Menzel painting “Resting Man (Beethoven)” (1850) Photo: auction house Lempertz
By Sebastian Bauer
The Kunsthaus Lempertz is donating a painting by the great Adolph Menzel (1815–1905) to the Alte Nationalgalerie.
It is the work “Resting Man (Beethoven)” from 1850. The oil painting probably shows the composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).
The work, which was owned by the National Gallery until the Second World War, was considered lost after the war. A private individual had acquired it after finding it in an art dealership in Helsinki.
The painting was offered to the Lempertz auction house 20 years ago, but it took a long time to confirm its authenticity. This has now taken place and so the picture was bought by Lempertz. It is currently being restored in the museum.
For Lempertz’s 225th birthday, the auction house is donating the painting to the Old National Gallery.