Horst de Marèes
Horst de Marées (1896–1988) was a German painter whose work explored bold forms and shapes, blending classical influences with a modern sensibility.
His expression is unique for his era, distinguished by an unusual individuality.
Today, Sabatier is proud to own a big share of his colourful oeuvre.
Horst de Marées was a German painter whose life and work reflect both the turbulence and the resilience of 20th-century European art. Born in Weimar in 1896, he grew up in an artistic family — his father, Lothar de Marées, was a landscape painter, and the family claimed ties to the distinguished painter Hans von Marées. This artistic lineage provided fertile ground for his early development, and he went on to study at the Grand Ducal Saxon Art School in Weimar under Walther Klemm before continuing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich under Hugo von Habermann.
From the outset, de Marées distinguished himself as a portrait painter of rare sensitivity. His works of the 1920s reveal a remarkable command of line and color, balancing intimacy with technical assurance. Time spent in Florence deepened his artistic horizons, where he absorbed classical influences and refined his palette toward a lyrical, yet deeply modern style. His compositions often balanced figuration with subtle abstraction, evoking a sense of timelessness that remained central throughout his career.
"We are proud to own a large collection of Horst de Marées’ surviving oeuvre, preserving the legacy of a painter whose quiet strength and artistic conviction deserve renewed recognition."
The rise of National Socialism marked a difficult chapter in de Marées’ life. Several of his works were removed from exhibitions and labeled “degenerate art,” and many were subsequently destroyed. Despite this, he continued to paint, developing a highly individual voice that avoided both the official propaganda of the time and the dogmatic modernisms that surrounded him. After the Second World War, his career resumed, though it was once again constrained by the ideological pressures of East Germany. When his request for medical treatment abroad was denied in 1960, he fled to the West, eventually settling in Otterndorf, where he lived and worked until his death in 1988.
De Marées’ oeuvre is vast — several thousand works, though countless were lost or destroyed in the upheavals of war. What remains shows a painter of extraordinary persistence and vision, moving gracefully between portraiture, figurative painting, and explorations of light and atmosphere. His works can be found today in museums in Meiningen, Erfurt, Altenburg, and beyond, as well as in private collections across Europe. He was, and remains, a painter for connoisseurs: subtle, intellectual, and deeply personal.
For collectors, de Marées offers not only historical significance but also a body of work that bridges tradition and modernism with rare integrity. His paintings bear witness to an artist who navigated one of history’s most tumultuous centuries without ever surrendering his artistic independence.