Magic Mirror

Max Beckmann prints bring the strong outlines, crowded rooms and searching self-portraits of one of Germany's great twentieth-century painters into your home. Beckmann lived through two world wars, exile and a new start in America, and he painted all of it with honesty and dark humour. Our collection gathers his paintings, drawings and print portfolios, from Frankfurt river views to circus scenes and still lifes.

About Max Beckmann

Max Beckmann was born in Leipzig on 12 February 1884. He studied at the art school in Weimar from 1901 to 1903, then spent a few months in Paris, where the paintings of Cézanne made a strong impression on him. Back in Berlin he became a member of the Berlin Secession in 1907. In 1906 he married the artist Minna Tube.

When the First World War began, Beckmann volunteered as a medical orderly, serving on the Eastern Front and in Flanders. The experience broke him, and he was released from service after a breakdown in 1915. It also changed his art: the polished academic realism of his early years gave way to tense, distorted figures and tightly packed space. He settled in Frankfurt, and from 1925 he taught a master class there. In 1925 he left Minna Tube to marry his second wife, Mathilde "Quappi" von Kaulbach.

In 1933 the Nazi government dismissed him from his teaching post, and in 1937 it confiscated more than 500 of his works, showing several in the "Degenerate Art" exhibition in Munich. Beckmann left Germany in July 1937 and spent about ten years in Amsterdam, where he painted several of his large triptychs. In 1947 he moved to the United States to teach at Washington University in St. Louis, and in 1949 at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. He died in New York on 27 December 1950.

Style and Subjects

Beckmann never gave up the human figure. He is usually grouped with the Expressionists, though he rejected the label, and in the 1920s he was linked to New Objectivity. Look for strong, dark outlines, figures squeezed into shallow, crowded spaces, and colour that grows richer and deeper from the 1920s on. He drew on old masters such as Rembrandt, Bosch and Bruegel, and on medieval stained glass.

His favourite subjects return again and again: himself, in dozens of self-portraits; bars, theatres and fairground acts; bathers and beaches; and, late in life, ten great triptychs that turn the old altarpiece format into stories about modern life.

Famous Works

• The Night (1918–19), Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf. Painted just after the First World War, it shows the distorted figures and crowded space that his war years brought into his art.
• Self-Portrait with Red Scarf (1917), Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. Painted two years after his breakdown and release from war service.
• The Iron Footbridge (Der Eiserne Steg) (1922), Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf. The Frankfurt bridge over the River Main, a subject he also made in prints.
• Carnival (Pierrette and Clown) (1925), Kunsthalle Mannheim. Two costumed figures in a tight, theatrical space.
• Self-Portrait in Tuxedo (1927), Busch-Reisinger Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Berlin's National Gallery bought this formal self-portrait in 1928.
• Departure (1932–35), Museum of Modern Art, New York. His first triptych, begun in Frankfurt and finished in Berlin as the Nazis came to power.
• Self-Portrait Yellow-Pink (1943), Würth Collection, Künzelsau. A self-portrait painted during his years of exile in Amsterdam. Available as a print.
• The Argonauts (1949–50), National Gallery of Art, Washington. His last completed triptych, based on the Greek myth of Jason's voyage.

Decorating with Beckmann Prints

Beckmann's black-and-white prints work well in a study, hallway or library, where their strong lines read clearly from a distance. Our collection includes plates from his portfolios Faces, The Annual Fair and Day and Dream, which look good hung as a small series. His self-portraits, such as Self-Portrait in Bowler Hat, suit a home office or reading corner.

For living and dining rooms, choose his calmer subjects: the Frankfurt river views such as Main River Landscape with Rainbow, the moonlit sea of Mondnacht am Meer, or still lifes like Stilleben mit Rosen. His café, theatre and dance scenes bring a lively, sociable mood to a bar area or dining room.

FAQ

What art movement was Max Beckmann part of?

Beckmann is often grouped with German Expressionism, though he rejected that label himself. In the 1920s he was associated with New Objectivity. He always remained a figurative painter and never turned to abstraction.

What is Max Beckmann's most famous painting?

The Night (1918–19) and his first triptych, Departure (1932–35), are among his best-known works. Departure is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and The Night is in Düsseldorf.

Where can I see Max Beckmann's original paintings?

Major works are in the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf, the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

How can I recognise a Max Beckmann painting?

Look for heavy dark outlines, figures crowded into shallow space, and a theatrical, often mysterious mood. He painted himself often, so a stern face in formal dress is a good clue.

Why did Max Beckmann leave Germany?

The Nazi government dismissed him from teaching in 1933 and confiscated hundreds of his works as "degenerate." He left in 1937 for Amsterdam, and in 1947 moved to the United States, where he spent his final years.

Related Artists

• Paul Cézanne — his paintings impressed the young Beckmann in Paris in 1903
• Lovis Corinth — a fellow German painter of his generation who also pursued modern figurative painting
• Vincent van Gogh — one of the painters Beckmann drew on
• Rembrandt — an old master whose self-portraits and drama shaped Beckmann's work