Theft and Recovery

Branch, now 78, experienced a devastating loss when his paintings disappeared from his rented warehouse studio in Berlin. He was 28 at the time. frequent trips to New York, spurred by a guggenheim Fellowship offer in the late 1970s [[3]], led to the finding that his studio had been emptied upon his return.

the reason? Two months of unpaid rent.Branch recounted his experience:

The owners of the building … wouldn’t speak any English and my German was not the best at that time.

He added:

they were very rude and arrogant. if they’d given me […] time,I would have resolved the problem,but they were very brutal … I didn’t pay my rent,regrettably,as I was living from hand to mouth.

Branch also expressed frustration with his legal depiction at the time:

If my lawyer was competent, I could have fought it in the court, because you cannot enter into a building without giving the tenant notice. It was a difficult moment in my life.

Unable to locate the paintings, Branch had resigned himself to never seeing them again. I felt my whole life was gone, he said.

From Loss to Rediscovery

The paintings resurfaced when the German owner decided to sell them through Galerie Volker Diehl in Berlin,which contacted Branch. The paintings had been sold by the studio’s landlord to an architect who, unaware of their history, took them to his home in Greece.

Branch’s Artistic Journey

While these recovered works are figurative, Branch is renowned for his abstract paintings inspired by nature. His art explores light and color, frequently enough evoking blooming gardens. His agent, Varvara Roza, noted:

Winston is known all over the world for tempestuous abstract works that unfold like visual poetry, but these … early figurative works provide a window into the evolution of his painting.

Branch’s work has garnered notable recognition.His paintings are part of prestigious public and private collections, including Tate Britain and the British Museum [[3]]. Collectors have paid over £400,000 for his pieces, and his auction record reached approximately £240,000 in 2023 at Christie’s London for The Magic is in You, an abstract painting reminiscent of Monet’s Nymphéas.

Restoration and Future Exhibition

The recovered paintings required restoration, a task Branch undertook himself. They are scheduled to be displayed at Galerie Volker Diehl in September.

These early works are priced between £95,000 and £150,000. Branch will receive a percentage of the sales, avoiding a possibly lengthy legal battle. Despite initial dismay, Branch understood the need for a resolution.

A Personal Connection

Branch chose to purchase one painting for himself:

That’s the painting that I really wanted … because the woman in [it is] the mother of my second daughter.

He elaborated on his artistic process:

I painted her first with her clothes on and secondly without her clothes on. I was testing my ability to have real descriptiveness in painting.

A symbolic price of €10,000 was agreed upon, acknowledging the owner’s compensation. Branch plans to display the painting in his London studio upon its arrival from Berlin.

volker diehl, the gallery owner, described the paintings as absolutely stunning.

FAQ

• Who is Winston Branch?
  Winston Branch is a Caribbean British abstract painter known for his colorful and expressive works.
• What happened to his paintings?
  Twenty of his early figurative paintings were stolen from his Berlin studio in the 1970s due to unpaid rent.
• how were the paintings recovered?
  The paintings resurfaced when the owner decided to sell them through Galerie Volker Diehl, who contacted Branch.
• Where will the paintings be exhibited?
  The recovered paintings will be displayed at Galerie Volker Diehl in Berlin in September.