A watercolour painted and signed by the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler will be sold at an auction in Bavaria.
The painting, completed by the fascist leader in 1914 or 1915, is called Das alte Rathaus (‘The Old Townhall’), and depicts a registrar’s office in Munich.
The painting belongs to two sisters, who hope the Nuremberg auction will raise thousands. The 22cm x 28cm piece was purchased by their grandfather from a gallery in Munich in 1916.
The original bill of sale is included with the lot, along with a certificate of authenticity signed by Albert Bormann, a brother of Hitler’s chief-of-staff.
The Weidler auction house, where the auction is scheduled for November 22nd, has gained a reputation for selling the paintings of the infamous dictator. They have previously sold five of his works to collectors in Germany and abroad.
The most recent one was sold in January 2012 to an anonymous collector in Slovakia. The painting sold for €32,000.
Bidding for ‘The Old Townhall’ will start at €4,500, and the sisters who own the piece say they intend to donate 10 per cent of the sale price to charity.
Before rising to power and leading the world into the Second World War, Adolf Hitler had a failed career as an artist. He was twice rejected by the prestigious Vienna Art Academy in 1907 and 1908.
Although the sale of his work Mein Kampf is illegal in Germany today, Hitler’s 800 paintings are allowed to be sold, provided the do not contain any Nazi symbols.
