SwissArtGallery · Documented identity

Otto von Wätjen

The German painter Otto von Wätjen, born in Düsseldorf and deceased in Munich, carried out a significant part of his artistic activity in Paris while remaining connected to Düsseldorf. After a year of engineering studies, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in 1901, where he studied under Heinrich Knirr. From 1902 to 1903, he studied painting in Savièse with his maternal uncle, Otto Vautier.

In January 1905, he moved to Paris and enrolled at the Académie Humbert. After returning to Düsseldorf in 1910, he stayed in Spain with his wife: the couple was in Barcelona from April 1916, then settled in Madrid in March 1918. It was in Madrid that he painted *Spanish Night. Two Young Ladies in the Garden*. At the end of November 1919, the couple returned to Germany.

In March 1914, Wätjen took part in the first exhibition of the Free Secession in Berlin. After returning to Germany, he participated in exhibitions at the Kestnergesellschaft in Hanover. In the spring of 1920, Alfred Flechtheim devoted an exhibition to him in Düsseldorf, which also brought together Paul Goesch and Renée Sintenis. Flechtheim also collected paintings by Wätjen and reserved them for his private cabinet.

This profile brings together identity references for Otto von Wätjen and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.

3 references are documented at Kornfeld. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.

Sources and references

• Reference record
• Documentary source
• Documentary source

SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19