A Nazi looted Egon Schiele artwork just sold at Christie's
The power of provenance
Last night at Christie’s, London, 20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale, an Egon Schiele work on paper, Knabe in Matrosenanzug (Boy in a Sailor Suit), sold for a staggering £3.3 million, including premiums.
This 1914 piece, created using gouache, watercolour, and pencil, captures a young boy in isolation as though he is falling through the air. He wears a sailor suit, a classic outfit often worn by middle and upper-class children of the time and is depicted in Schiele’s typical sketchy aesthetic. Among expressive pencil lines, soft washes of colour contrast dynamically with the definitive stripes of the boy's shirt collar and cuff. While we don’t know the identity of the sitter, the meticulous rendering of the model’s lively posture gives him a striking presence, animating him in true Schiele fashion.
But how did a work estimated at £1-£1.5 million end up selling for nearly double its highest estimate? The answer lies in the artworks storied provenance.
This artwork's first owner was Fritz Grünbaum, a Viennese cabaret pioneer, performer, writer and outspoken critic of the Nazi regime. Grünbaum was a major supporter of the Viennese avant-garde, particularly Schiele, amassing an astonishing collection of over 80 of his works. Just as Schiele defied artistic traditions, Grünbaum used his sharp wit to challenge the political establishment through his performances. The two men, both outsiders seeking to shake up Vienna’s cultural scene, shared a fearless spirit.
Grünbaum’s theatrical satire of the Nazis led to his arrest in March 1938, and tragically, his collection was looted following his imprisonment. He was eventually deported to Dachau concentration camp, where he continued to perform. He staged secret plays using humour to uplift fellow prisoners, even under unimaginable conditions. By late 1940, suffering from tuberculosis and barely able to stand, he gave what would be his final performance on New Year’s Eve. He passed away shortly after, on January 14, 1941. His wife, Lilli, was later deported and murdered in 1942.
After disappearing for years with the rest of Grünbaum’s collection Knabe in Matrosenanzug resurfaced in 1956 at Klipstein & Kornfeld in Bern, where it was bought by Swiss journalist Manuel Gasser. With its looted status unbeknown to Gasser, it remained in his collection for 24 years before being sold at his estate sale at Galerie Kornfeld in 1980. Since then, it has passed through the hands of another Swiss private collector before being consigned to Christie’s by its most recent owner, a private collector based in Germany.
So what happens when a stolen artwork comes to light decades after the fact? Restitution cases like this one can be complicated. Some collectors take the legal route, which can take years and cost a fortune in court battles. Others, as in this case, choose the path of auctioning the work with an agreement in place to divide the proceeds between the current owner and the heirs of the original collector. This ensures both transparency and fair financial resolution for all parties involved.
On March 5, 2025, Knabe in Matrosenanzug sold for £3.3 million, more than double its high estimate, demonstrating just how much demand there is for restituted artworks at auction. This high achieving price is typical for works finding a restitution resolution at auction as buyers are not only acquiring a piece of art, they are also engaging in an act of historical justice. The combination of artistic significance, compelling provenance, and moral appeal makes these works particularly desirable.
In addition, both parties involved in this sale have pledged to donate their profits to charity. The Grünbaum Fischer Foundation plans to support underrepresented performing artists, while the consignor is contributing a portion of their proceeds to the German children’s charity, Kinderoase.
This is not the first time a Grünbaum-owned Schiele has resurfaced at auction. In 2014, Stadt am blauen Fluss (Krumau) sold at Christie’s, New York for $2.9 million, far above its $800k–$1.2 million estimate. More recently, in November 2023, several other Grünbaum works hit the auction block after a New York court ruled that his heirs were the rightful owners. One of these pieces, Ich liebe Gegensätze, fetched an astonishing $10,990,000, with a $1.5–$2.5 million estimate.
For collectors, acquiring a restituted artwork is more than just an investment, it’s a ticket to be part of a story of resilience, justice, and cultural preservation. Knabe in Matrosenanzug’s success at auction shows how such artworks tend to achieve results far beyond their guideline valuations, and when handled through open-market sales, can offer a meaningful and effective resolution to ownership disputes while ensuring works remain preserved for future generations.
Find full list of works looted from Fritz Grünbaum’s legendary collection here.
