Drei Akte im Wald (Three Nudes in the Wood), once belonged to Alfred Hess, the renowned collector of German Expressionism. Most of the Hess collection was classed as "degenerate" by the Nazis and had to stay in Germany, kept by the Kölnischer Kunstverein (Cologne Arts Association), when his heirs fled the country in the 1930s.
Only six paintings were returned to the family by the Kunstverein in 1951. The Kunstverein sold many others, including Berliner Strassenszene, which was restituted to the heirs of Alfred Hess in 2006 and sold at Christie's New York for $28m to Ronald Lauder's Neue Galerie.
It is assumed that Drei Akte im Wald suffered a similar fate, but on this occasion the family of the consignor and the descendants of Albert Hess came to an agreement that the original owners would not lay claim to the proceeds when the picture was sold on May 27 at Van Ham.
Signed, dated 1912 and measuring 2ft x 20in (50 x 60 cm), it had the estimate set at 400,000-600,000 euros. Bidding reached 900,000 euros (£841,000), plus buyer's premium, when a German private collector outpaced an Austrian client.
