By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 07:18 EST, 29 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:04 EST, 29 January 2013 . A never-before-seen portrait of Nazi leader Hermann Goering painted by a Jewish artist during the 1930s is set to go under the hammer. The oil painting by Imre Goth enraged the tyrant after it was completed, as he was furious that it depicted him as the morphine-fuelled drug addict he was. Goering was so outraged by the artwork that Goth feared for his life, and was forced to flee Germany and seek refuge in Britain. Up for auction: This portrait of Hermann Goering by Imre Goth is going under the hammer . The portrait never left the possession of its creator, and on his death 30 years ago he asked a friend to destroy it. But the confidante kept the unique work, and it is expected to sell for thousands of pounds when it goes up for auction next month. Goering commissioned the Hungarian-born artist - whose work appeared in a number of trendy German magazines - to paint portraits of him and his actress girlfriend in 1934, at the height of the Nazi rise to power. But Hitler’s right hand man was said to be dismayed when he saw the finished article. He had developed an addiction to morphine during the First World War, and worried that the painting showed the effects the drug was having on his body. Badly received: The Nazi feared that the picture exposed his debilitating morphine habit by depicting the damage it had done to his appearance . Goering demanded that the artist alter the portrait to bring it in line with heroic propaganda images of his fellow leaders. But Goth insisted he would only paint what he could see, and refused to create a ‘dishonest’ vision of Goering. Realising his life was in danger, the artist fled to Britain, and was interned in a camp on the Isle of Man before being allowed to settle in the UK, where he stayed until his death in 1982, aged 89. He brought the painting with him and entrusted it to friend Sylvia Reed on the condition she dispose of it when she died. But she decided to preserve the artwork for posterity, and kept it under wraps for almost 30 years. Propaganda: An official portrait of Goering painting him in a much more heroic light . Imre Goth (1893-1982) was a Hungarian Jewish artist who found fame as a portraitist in Berlin. His pictures were often seen in German magazines during the 1930s, which was when he was commissioned to paint Hermann Goering. During the middle of that decade, as Nazi Germany became an increasingly hostile place for Jews, he moved to Britain after holding a successful exhibition in Birmingham. As a citizen of an enemy state, Goth was interned on the Isle of Man during the early years of the Second World War. However, he later settled into a peaceful life, and struck up a friendship with film producer Alexander Korda, giving him an entry into the British showbiz world. He lived off the proceeds of his inventions, which included car headlights and a type of parachute. A note from Mrs Reed which accompanies the picture reads: 'Goering commissioned him to paint pictures of friends and particularly of an actress he was having an affair with at the time, and then asked him to paint his portrait as he wished to give it as present to his girlfriend. 'At the time Imre Goth got on well with Goering due to their mutual interest in aircraft and flying... all went well until the portrait of Goering was finished. 'Goering felt that the eyes betrayed the fact that he was taking morphine and he demanded that Goth should change them. 'Goth said he could only paint what he saw and left immediately.' The portrait forms part of a war memorabilia sale to be held by Mullock’s auctioneers in Ludlow, Shropshire on February 14. Its reserve price is £8,000, but it has previously been valued by experts as high as £50,000. 'The historical significance of this portrait cannot be denied,' said Richard Westwood-Brookes of Mullock's. 'As opposed to the official Nazi portraits of Goering, this shows him exactly what he was - a depraved drug addict - and for that reason I personally think it should be displayed publicly to show successive generations exactly what the Nazis really were, as opposed to their now more familiar propaganda images.' Before his exile Goth was a celebrated artist and his paintings could be seen on the covers of magazines and on gallery walls.
Imre Goth was forced to flee Germany after painting portrait .
Picture exposed Nazi's leader morphine addiction .
By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 07:18 EST, 29 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:04 EST, 29 January 2013 . A never-before-seen portrait of Nazi leader Hermann Goering painted by a Jewish artist during the 1930s is set to go under the hammer. The oil painting by Imre Goth enraged the tyrant after it was completed, as he was furious that it depicted him as the morphine-fuelled drug addict he was. Goering was so outraged by the artwork that Goth feared for his life, and was forced to flee Germany and seek refuge in Britain. Up for auction: This portrait of Hermann Goering by Imre Goth is going under the hammer . The portrait never left the possession of its creator, and on his death 30 years ago he asked a friend to destroy it. But the confidante kept the unique work, and it is expected to sell for thousands of pounds when it goes up for auction next month. Goering commissioned the Hungarian-born artist - whose work appeared in a number of trendy German magazines - to paint portraits of him and his actress girlfriend in 1934, at the height of the Nazi rise to power. But Hitler’s right hand man was said to be dismayed when he saw the finished article. He had developed an addiction to morphine during the First World War, and worried that the painting showed the effects the drug was having on his body. Badly received: The Nazi feared that the picture exposed his debilitating morphine habit by depicting the damage it had done to his appearance . Goering demanded that the artist alter the portrait to bring it in line with heroic propaganda images of his fellow leaders. But Goth insisted he would only paint what he could see, and refused to create a ‘dishonest’ vision of Goering. Realising his life was in danger, the artist fled to Britain, and was interned in a camp on the Isle of Man before being allowed to settle in the UK, where he stayed until his death in 1982, aged 89. He brought the painting with him and entrusted it to friend Sylvia Reed on the condition she dispose of it when she died. But she decided to preserve the artwork for posterity, and kept it under wraps for almost 30 years. Propaganda: An official portrait of Goering painting him in a much more heroic light . Imre Goth (1893-1982) was a Hungarian Jewish artist who found fame as a portraitist in Berlin. His pictures were often seen in German magazines during the 1930s, which was when he was commissioned to paint Hermann Goering. During the middle of that decade, as Nazi Germany became an increasingly hostile place for Jews, he moved to Britain after holding a successful exhibition in Birmingham. As a citizen of an enemy state, Goth was interned on the Isle of Man during the early years of the Second World War. However, he later settled into a peaceful life, and struck up a friendship with film producer Alexander Korda, giving him an entry into the British showbiz world. He lived off the proceeds of his inventions, which included car headlights and a type of parachute. A note from Mrs Reed which accompanies the picture reads: 'Goering commissioned him to paint pictures of friends and particularly of an actress he was having an affair with at the time, and then asked him to paint his portrait as he wished to give it as present to his girlfriend. 'At the time Imre Goth got on well with Goering due to their mutual interest in aircraft and flying... all went well until the portrait of Goering was finished. 'Goering felt that the eyes betrayed the fact that he was taking morphine and he demanded that Goth should change them. 'Goth said he could only paint what he saw and left immediately.' The portrait forms part of a war memorabilia sale to be held by Mullock’s auctioneers in Ludlow, Shropshire on February 14. Its reserve price is £8,000, but it has previously been valued by experts as high as £50,000. 'The historical significance of this portrait cannot be denied,' said Richard Westwood-Brookes of Mullock's. 'As opposed to the official Nazi portraits of Goering, this shows him exactly what he was - a depraved drug addict - and for that reason I personally think it should be displayed publicly to show successive generations exactly what the Nazis really were, as opposed to their now more familiar propaganda images.' Before his exile Goth was a celebrated artist and his paintings could be seen on the covers of magazines and on gallery walls.
painting by Imre Goth enraged the tyrant after it feared for his life, and was forced to flee