Child in the playroom – Behnhaus Museum Lübeck

For the Lübeck ZWISCHENZEILEN I recently set out to trace the painting "Child in the Playroom." After a conversation with Dr. Alexander Bastek, director of the Behnhaus Drägerhaus Museum, and the entrepreneur and art patron Ellen Ehrich, I had a very specific destination in mind in the Aegidienviertel district: the wall of a former bunker on Schildstraße . There, for almost ten years, has stood the larger-than-life mural and portrait of a girl named Else. It has found its place on the wall of the neighborhood quite naturally—almost at eye level with the Gothic tower of St. Aegidien Church. The story of Else's portrait, however, begins quietly and privately, 125 years ago in the parlor of her parents' house.

The story behind the portrait

In 1901, Else was four years old and living in Berlin. Her father, the art historian Walther Gensel, had been friends with the Lübeck painter Heinrich Eduard Linde-Walther since their first meeting in Paris. Linde-Walther painted landscapes and still lifes, but also depicted everyday scenes. He also created portraits of children for private clients, including the children of relatives. We briefly described the painting of his brother Max Linde's sons, so popular in Lübeck, in our article about the reopened Behnhaus .

When Linde-Walther asked for permission to paint Else in her home environment, it was readily granted, on the condition that the painting would be used exclusively for private purposes.

Around Easter 1901, Linde-Walther painted Else Gensel's large-format portrait. It depicts an everyday scene in the living room of a middle-class household. We see several pieces of furniture and a rug. Warm brown, beige, and ochre tones dominate the scene. These are broken up by white and softly shimmering accents. Diffused daylight—presumably from an adjacent room—enhances the private, domestic atmosphere.

Else is in the foreground. She is wearing a checkered dress and a play apron. Scattered on the parquet floor are picture books, building blocks, a ball, and other toys. In her right hand, she holds a small church. Of course, she could never have imagined that, over 100 years later, as an art object, she would be looking down on a Gothic church in Lübeck.

I find it fascinating how the painter managed to capture Else's gaze: she looks at us cleverly and almost defiantly – and at the same time radiates a quiet melancholy.

A broken promise

The portrait, titled "Child in the Playroom," was never intended for public display. However, the painter disregarded the agreement he had made with Else's father. In 1902, the painting was sold to the Museum am Dom in Lübeck. Understandably, Walther Gensel was not pleased. A breach of trust among friends, one that even in retrospect is difficult to comprehend. 125 years later, however, the joy that "Child in the Playroom" can now be seen by all of us prevails. Else's portrait is a quiet plea for art to be visible.

Else goes to play

It took quite a while before Else left her home in the Behnhaus for her first little outdoor adventure. In 2014, the French street artist Julien de Casabianca had started taking photos of artworks with his mobile phone in Paris, printing them out, and installing them in public spaces.

The idea behind this outing project was taken up by people in various cities around the world, including the Lübeck artists Ulrike Heil and Ingeborg Pieper. At the end of 2015, they photographed several images in the Behnhaus Drägerhaus Museum. They selected excerpts and placed them in various locations throughout Lübeck's old town. The street art project was enthusiastically received in Lübeck. Else, the child in the playroom, was also sent out into the real world by the artists. She found her place near a playground on Kanalstraße and finally met other children.

Else moves to the district of St. Gille's

In 2016, at the initiative of Dr. Bastek, Casabianca visited the Behnhaus and chose Else for his Lübeck outing project. He said the child's portrait had spontaneously moved him. Else has now grown to a monumental height of around 14 meters and has been gazing down from the bunker wall ever since.

That Else has been a beloved resident of the Aegidien district for 10 years is thanks to the HANSE network of female entrepreneurs . Ellen Ehrich is one of the founders of this network, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2026. The entrepreneurs supported the Lübeck Casabianca project with a generous donation in 2015. And they have remained by Else's side as her protectors. The mural received a protective coating and has since been carefully restored. Wind and weather have taken their toll on the large Else. At the end of 2025, Ellen Ehrich asked the restorer Dirk Helbig to assess her current condition. In the spring of 2026, a decision will be made as to whether cleaning and restoration will allow her to remain on the building's facade. Many Lübeck residents sincerely hope that their silent companion can stay.

A letter from Rendsburg

Dr. Bastek's initiative met with a great response and triggered extensive media coverage of the Lübeck outing project. Else's face became known far beyond Lübeck – and so a very special letter eventually reached the Behnhaus. It was written by Else Gensel's elderly son. He described how his mother had always remembered being painted as a little girl. But the family hadn't known what had become of the picture. The surprise was all the greater, then, to suddenly see the childhood portrait again in a newspaper article.

Else – the traveler

Over the years, "Kind im Spielzimmer," now considered one of the most important works of German Impressionism, has been exhibited in museums both in Germany and abroad. The painting is currently on tour again. After a stop in Baden-Baden, it will be on display at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam , as part of the exhibition "Avant-garde: Max Liebermann and Impressionism in Germany."

Afterwards, Else returns to the Behnhaus. For me, that's a good reason to already look forward to next summer – and to welcome her back there. In the meantime, Else awaits us in the Aegidien district. Why not pay her a visit there (again)? Explore St. Aegidien , visit the St. Annen art gallery , or enjoy a break at Café Konvent . Perhaps you'll think of a portrait you'd like to liberate from a museum as part of a coming-out project.

Cover image: Lübeck Museums, Museum Behnhaus Drägerhaus