Berlin - (AFP) - A self-portrait by Max Beckmann , considered one of the most prominent German expressionist artists, will be auctioned in Germany next week, for a price that could reach 30 million euros.

A masterpiece that has been in private property since it was painted in 1943, Selbstbildnis gelb-rosa (Self-portrait yellow and pink) depicts the artist while he was in exile in the Netherlands after fleeing Nazi Germany.

The painting, which he gave to his wife Mathilde, who kept it until her death in 1986, remained for decades in a private Swiss collection and has not been shown to the public since the mid-1990s.

"No similar work of art has been sold at auction in Germany since 1945," said Michaela Kapitsky, director of the Berlin-based Griesbach house in charge of the sale.

The price of the painting could reach between 20 and 30 million euros, which is the highest estimate so far for a painting sold in Germany, according to the house.

Collectors, museums and other institutions from all over the world are interested in buying them in Germany's thriving art market.