As one of the first, Rudolf Probst dealt in works by the artist associations 'Blue Rider' and 'Bridge'. He actively promoted the artists of the 'Bauhaus'. Emil Nolde owes him the broad recognition and establishment of his work. He shared a close friendship with Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger, Wassily Kandinsky, and Otto Dix. Above all, he was one of the very few who dared to exhibit and promote these artists even under Nazi rule. Probst began in Dresden, where he served as the managing director of the 'Neue Kunst Fides' gallery from 1919 to 1933. When the National Socialists forced him to close the art dealership in 1933, he moved to Mannheim. There, in 1937, he took over the 'Kunsthaus' from Herbert Tannenbaum when Tannenbaum went into exile in Amsterdam. After an exhibition of works by Emil Nolde in the summer of 1937, Probst had to forgo further presentations.