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Paula Modersohn-Becker was one of the most important artists of modernism, creating an extraordinary body of work that was only widely recognised after her untimely death in 1907. Today she is one of the highlights of German art history.

The von der Heydt family were among the artist's earliest collectors. August and Selma von der Heydt bought the first two paintings for their private collection in 1909. The family owned a total of 32 of her works. Of these, 17 are now in the Von der Heydt Museum collection alone, many more were destroyed in the Second World War and some are in other museums.

The two still lifes on display are exceptional compositions. The 'Still Life with Chestnuts' shows part of an arrangement on a table from above. In the foreground are chestnuts in a bowl, surrounded by some unpeeled fruits and a knife. A small jug, a plate and the lower part of a lamp are placed at the back of the picture. The palette, reduced to earthy tones, gives the picture a serenity and unity, while the artist achieves a convincing plasticity through the pasty application of paint and the use of perspective.

The 'Still Life with Jug, Candlestick and Fruit' has a much brighter and more contrasting choice of colours. The composition of jug, candlestick and some citrus fruits is placed on a yellow cloth, which also drapes the scene like a curtain, creating a kind of stage. The objects are flat and surrounded by a clear outline. The colours of the background, blue and red, give the scene an additional luminosity through their strong contrast.

Paula Modersohn-Becker was born in Dresden in 1876 and brought up in Bremen. She began her artistic training at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Bremen before moving to Paris in 1896 to study at the Académie Colarossi. There she came into contact with modern trends in art, which had a significant influence on her style. In 1901 she married the painter Otto Modersohn, with whom she settled in the artists' village of Worpswede. It was during this time that she developed her own distinctive style, marked by expressionist influences and a strong and emotional engagement with nature and the people around her. In 1906 she travelled to Paris for the second time, where she further developed her painting style and made contacts with international artists. She died in 1907, aged just 31, of an embolism shortly after the birth of her daughter.

Other paintings by the artist can be seen in the collection presentation 'Times and Spaces' on the 1st floor. The works that are not on display can be found digitally in the collection. Today the Von der Heydt Museum owns 21 paintings and several works on paper by Paula Modersohn-Becker.