Profile portrait of Einstein by <<Lou Albert-Lasard>>. Lithograph, with artist’s initials, title and date noted in the plate.

A rare portrait - <<very possibly unique>> - by the French-German artist Lou Albert-Lasard (1885-1969). Born into an Alsatian-Jewish banking family, Albert-Lasard studied with Fernand Léger and was a member of the avant-garde group known as the Novembergruppe in Berlin, and later, the Montparnasse art society of Paris. The Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (MAMCS) of Strasbourg holds more than 2,000 artworks by Albert-Lasard, yet does not know of this portrait (although they do possess another Einstein portrait the artist produced at the same time). It is possible Albert-Lasard created this lithograph in an issue of just one, and then personally gave it to Einstein to keep. Einstein retained this lithograph for decades, indeed it remained in his possession until his death. Clearly it - and likely the artist too - was important to him. <<Provenance:>> Passed directly from Albert Einstein to the present owner, the consignor. <<Exhibited:>> Mitsuo Aida Museum, Einstein in Japan: A Travelogue (Tokyo, 2005-6). See accompanying catalogue (edited by Stefan Iglhaut) illustrated on p. 24.