Provenance: The seller was neighbor to Asta Nielsen's daughter Jesta Nielsen and son-in-law Paul Vermehren.

This week, we present a larger collection of works from the international silent movie star and artist Asta Nielsen, or “Die Asta” as she was known in her time. We primarily offer collages made by the artist herself, along with a self-portrait in watercolor and her son-in-law's draft for Asta Nielsen's autobiography.

Asta Nielsen is an icon in film history, both in Denmark and Germany, as well as the rest of Europe and the USA. She participated in more than 70 silent films throughout her career and is regarded as one of the great film icons of her time. Known as a film diva with a unique aura of mystique, she captivates viewers with her talent and charisma. Asta attracted considerable attention in her era—she was determined, strong-willed, and independent. From a contemporary perspective, it is evident how she broke and challenged the stereotypes of women in her time.

Asta’s film performances were iconic, as were her expression and appearance. With pale-painted skin, heavy eyelids, and a sharp black bob, her sometimes androgynous look drew attention. The so-called “Asta Nielsen hairstyle” can be seen in the two portraits we are offering at this auction. Her distinctive look, like her works, is expressive yet secretive and sensual.

Asta’s artistic oeuvre, though less well-known, is also significant. She spent much of her career in Germany, where she lived and worked. It was in her summer house on the island of Hiddensee that she began her work in the visual arts. With the entry of Nazism in Germany, she decided to move back to Denmark temporarily and stopped painting. However, she later acknowledged that painting was not her best art form.

While staying in Denmark, she began working with collages. She set up a studio in her apartment and created textile works from her old costumes from film and whatever materials she had on hand. Asta had a talent for this art form. Allegedly, she took up this art form after seeing an exhibition of collages, firmly believing she could do a better job herself. This anecdote reflects Asta's confident and strong-willed character.

Troels Andersen writes in the exhibition catalog for “Asta Nielsen - Collages” at the Silkeborg Art Museum in 2000: (translated) “She dyed the fabrics herself in varying shades to use in the collages. The materials cease to be what they are—fabric remnants—and are integrated into the whole image, often with the help of thin net fabrics drawn over the underlying colored sections.”

Like many other artists, Asta often worked with recurring motifs in her collages: representations of flowers, landscapes, and still life’s dominate her work. She repeated the same motifs, varying both materials and perspectives, as if continuously refining her artistic expression.