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The 1 Most Famous Else Wex Cleemann Paintings, a Gallery Selection
Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 2 works by Else Wex Cleemann in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Else Wex Cleemann left, the most famous is Knabenbildnis (1934), in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich. Our catalog holds 2 works by Else Wex Cleemann; the gallery has kept the 1 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
1890 – 1978, Ciudad Bolívar
Most works: Bavarian State Painting Collections
Else Wex Cleemann's top 10 paintings: the gallery's choice
The museums that keep Else Wex Cleemann's originals
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Else Wex Cleemann | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bavarian State Painting Collections |
Munich | 1 | Knabenbildnis |
Else Wex Cleemann year by year: the originals that define each
1934 is the year of every dated Else Wex Cleemann work in this selection: here they are, ranked by fame.
Works per year
Pick a year to see its originals.
Collectors' questions about Else Wex Cleemann's paintings
Which work is Else Wex Cleemann most famous for?Reveal the answer
Knabenbildnis (1934).
What age was Else Wex Cleemann when Knabenbildnis was made?Reveal the answer
44 years old: Knabenbildnis dates from 1934, and Else Wex Cleemann was born in 1890.
How many paintings did Else Wex Cleemann leave?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 2 works by Else Wex Cleemann.
In which museums do Else Wex Cleemann's masterpieces hang?Reveal the answer
Mostly in Bavarian State Painting Collections (Munich). The museum table above lists them all.
Else Wex Cleemann: life and work
Life and Artistic Journey
Born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, Else Wex Cleemann was a German painter and etcher. After her family moved to Hamburg, she studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, eventually qualifying as a drawing teacher. Her formal training continued in Berlin at the art school of Arthur Lewin-Funcke, where she studied under Lovis Corinth, and later in Hamburg, where she studied graphics with Fritz Behnke. Following a period in Paris, she became active in the artistic circles of Hamburg and Lübeck.
Her work during the 1920s was characterized by a style influenced by New Objectivity, noted for its luminous color and the sharpness and clarity of external forms. Her subjects included portraits and landscapes, often inspired by travels to Italy, Munich, Norway, Denmark, Holland, and France. In 1933, she married Jan Cleemann.
Exhibitions and Legacy
The career of Else Wex Cleemann was marked by significant historical complexities. In 1937, her oil painting Old Factory (Factory Courtyard) was confiscated by the Kunsthalle zu Kiel as degenerate art. During the same period, her portrait of Hermann Behme was exhibited in the Great German Art Exhibition. Her 1937 self-portrait, Self-Portrait as Eva, reflects the ambivalence of both rejection and success during the National Socialist era.
In the years following the Second World War, she participated in numerous exhibitions, though she lived a more withdrawn life in her later years due to a lack of acceptance for her work. Recently, her work has undergone a positive re-evaluation, with pieces featured in exhibitions such as Spannungsfeld Weimar. Kunst und Gesellschaft 1919-1933 and Kunst in „Dritten Reich“.