A framed painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner entitled "Portrait of Gerda".

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 to 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brucke or The Bridge, a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th century art. In 1933, his work was branded as degenerate by the Nazis and in 1937 over 600 of his works were sold or destroyed. In 1938 he committed suicide by gunshot.