Konzert in der Oper

Max Liebermann prints bring together sunlit Dutch beaches, riders by the sea and the flowering garden of his villa on Lake Wannsee. Liebermann was one of the leading Impressionists in Germany and continental Europe, and for years the head of the Berlin Secession. This collection gathers art prints of his early scenes of working life, his Dutch orphanages and dunes, his beach and garden pictures, portraits and drawings.

About Max Liebermann

Max Liebermann was born in Berlin on 20 July 1847, the son of a wealthy Jewish textile manufacturer turned banker. Against his father's wishes he left university to study painting at the art school in Weimar from 1869. In Paris and in Barbizon, where he spent the summer of 1874, he admired Millet, Corot and the painters of the Barbizon School.

Trips to the Netherlands changed his art. In Amsterdam he met Jozef Israëls and the Hague School painters, and in Haarlem he copied Frans Hals, developing a brighter, freer style. He returned to Holland almost every summer for decades. After some years in Munich he settled for good in Berlin in 1884, the year he married Martha Marckwald.

Liebermann led the Berlin Secession from 1899 to 1911 and became president of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1920. He painted more than 200 commissioned portraits, including Albert Einstein and Paul von Hindenburg. In 1933 he resigned from the Academy when it stopped showing works by Jewish artists. He died in Berlin on 8 February 1935.

Style and Subjects

Liebermann's early paintings show people at work in muted, earthy tones: women plucking geese, weavers, lacemakers and girls in Dutch orphanages. His sympathy for ordinary working life shocked some conservative critics at the time.

From the 1890s his color brightened and his brushwork loosened. He painted riders and bathers on the beaches at Scheveningen and Noordwijk, cafés and beer gardens, polo players and, from around 1910, the garden of his summer villa at Wannsee near Berlin, with its flower beds, birch trees and hedges. He was also a fine printmaker and draftsman.

Famous Works

• Women Plucking Geese (1870), Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin. His first major painting, a frank scene of women at work.
• The Twelve-Year-Old Jesus in the Temple (1879), Hamburger Kunsthalle. A Bible scene that caused a scandal in Munich.
• Free Period in the Amsterdam Orphanage (1881), Städel Museum, Frankfurt. Orphan girls in a sunlit courtyard, dappled with light.
• The Weaver (1882), Städel Museum, Frankfurt. A quiet study of a craftsman at his loom.
• The Bleaching Ground (1883), Wallraf–Richartz Museum, Cologne. Women laying out linen to bleach in the Dutch sun.
• Two Riders on the Beach (1901). Riders on horseback along the North Sea shore, one of his best-known beach scenes.
• Samson and Delilah (1902), Städel Museum, Frankfurt. A dramatic biblical subject from his mature years.

Decorating with Liebermann Prints

Liebermann's beach scenes with riders and bathers bring fresh sea air to a living room, hallway or bedroom. Their sandy beiges, sky blues and crisp whites suit coastal, Scandinavian and modern interiors.

His Wannsee garden pictures, full of flowers and greenery, are lovely in a kitchen, dining room or sunroom, while his early scenes of Dutch working life and his portraits suit a study or library with a calmer, more classic feel.

FAQ

What art movement was Max Liebermann part of?

Liebermann was one of the leading German Impressionists. He began as a realist, influenced by Millet and the Hague School, and later led the Berlin Secession.

What is Max Liebermann's most famous painting?

Women Plucking Geese (1870) made his name, and Free Period in the Amsterdam Orphanage (1881) and his beach scenes such as Two Riders on the Beach (1901) are among his best-known works.

Where can I see Liebermann's original paintings?

The Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt and the Wallraf–Richartz Museum in Cologne hold major works. His villa and garden at Wannsee are now a museum.

How can you recognize a Max Liebermann painting?

Look for quick, confident brushstrokes, dappled sunlight falling through trees, and everyday scenes of work or leisure, from Dutch orphan girls to riders on the beach and garden flower beds.

Why did Liebermann paint the Netherlands so often?

He was inspired by the light, people and landscape of Holland and spent almost every summer there for many years. He met Jozef Israëls and studied Frans Hals in Haarlem, which helped him develop his brighter style.

Related Artists

• Jozef Israëls — Hague School painter he met in Amsterdam
• Lovis Corinth — fellow German Impressionist and later Secession rival
• Max Slevogt — the third leading German Impressionist
• Mihály Munkácsy — painter he admired in Paris
• Walter Leistikow — fellow founder and pillar of the Berlin Secession