SPK restitutes Lovis Corinth painting from the Littmann Collection - Donation to the Alte Nationalgalerie
News from 01/27/2026
The SPK has restituted the painting "Eleonore von Wilke" by Lovis Corinth from the collection of the Alte Nationalgalerie to the heirs of Ismar and Käthe Littmann. They subsequently donated it to the museum, where it will continue to be on display following the Corinth exhibition.
Ismar Littmann (1878-1934) was a German lawyer and notary in Breslau. In the 1920s, he built up an extensive art collection of contemporary artists such as Lovis Corinth, Max Pechstein, Erich Heckel, Otto Mueller and Max Liebermann. His professional, financial and personal situation deteriorated noticeably when the Nazis came to power and began to persecute Jews. At the end of 1933, he attempted suicide, which he survived, but died as a result on 23 September 1934.
With his death, his family lost all means of earning a living and finally found themselves in financial difficulties. Against this background, his widow, Käthe Littmann, and his son, Hans Littmann, were forced to sell large parts of the art collection in the following years.
The painting "Eleonore von Wilke" by Lovis Corinth was one of these sold works. For a long time, it was not possible to determine whether the painting was one of the Littmann family's persecution-related losses due to crucial gaps in its provenance. In the meantime, sufficient facts and evidence about the circumstances of the loss have been gathered to suggest that the loss of the painting was indeed due to persecution and that it should therefore be restituted to the heirs.
Marion Ackermann, President of the SPK, says: "This case shows that researching provenance can sometimes take a long time, but gaps can still be closed even years later. And every closed case is a relief for the descendants. I am extremely grateful to the heirs of Ismar and Käthe Littmann for their generous gesture: they have donated the restituted work to the Alte Nationalgalerie."
"We are very grateful to the heirs of Ismar and Käthe Littmann for donating the painting "Eleonore von Wilke" to the Alte Nationalgalerie. Provenance research is an important topic for us, which we keep present in publications, exhibitions and permanent audio guide tracks. This donation following the restitution is of particular importance for the Alte Nationalgalerie and will be kept alive accordingly," says Anette Hüsch, Director of the Alte Nationalgalerie.