Karl Schmidt-RottluffDr Rosa Schapire 1919

Schmidt-Rottluff made several portraits of Dr Rosa Schapire (1874–1954). Trained as an art historian, she was one of the first supporters of the Brücke group, of which Schmidt-Rottluff was a founder member. Both this work and Woman with a Bag were incorporated in the decorative scheme, which Schmidt-Rottluff carried out in 1921 for her apartment in Hamburg. She came to England in 1939 as a refugee from Nazi persecution, bringing with her a large collection of Schmidt-Rottluff’s work.