Portrait of Erich Cohn

Erich Cohn (3 May 1889 - 13 April 1972) – an art patron, friend and collector of German Expressionist art. Born in 1890 in Filehne, Germany (now Wieluń, Poland). He emigrated to the United States in 1915 and, in 1937, became president of A. Goodman & Sons, manufacturer of noodles and matzos. Artworks from Erich Cohn’s collection, including those by Paul Kleinschmidt, George Grosz and Käthe Kollwitz, are now at the MoMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Harvard Art Museums and Carnegie Museum of Art. Crohn owned many works by Leopold Gottlieb, including this portrait of the collector. His depictions were also painted by Kleinschmidt and Grosz.

In this portrait, Gottlieb’s attention is on the face in profile, a little tired but smooth. The painting conveys the impression that Cohn was an earnest, well-educated and quick-witted man. The only distinct element of his attire is the red and navy tie that stands in stark contrast to the greyness of his suit and the wall in the background. The artist gave it enough definition for it to almost keep Crohn upright in the chair.