Max Beckmann

Max Beckmann (1884-1950), the outstanding Expressionist painter, is regarded as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. His works, jostling with figures and full of colour, are packed with highly symbolic messages. They are critical of the times in which he lived and bear witness to Beckmann’s struggle with existential questions and his constant search for truth.

Max Beckmann is one of the most fascinating painters of the modern age, who more than almost any other reflected the social upheavals of his time, not only in his numerous works but also and not least through his extensive correspondence and diaries. He was an observer, a gentleman, a loner and a reflective witness of his age. Perpetually searching for truth, he was a self-critical witness of the times in which he lived. It is especially in his expressive self-portraits that we believe we can get closer to Beckmann’s multi-faceted nature and hence become better able to understand the wide range of metaphors in his multi-faceted oeuvre. This volume by one of the most illustrious Beckmann specialists, Dr. Christiane Zeiller, traces his artistic career and the principal stations of his life, from the years in Berlin and Frankfurt via his exile in Amsterdam und America. The unique Max Beckmann Archives, with its wide-ranging legacy, are currently housed in the Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen in Munich. Material which has not previously been published will be shown in the publication, including private photos and objects from amongst the artist’s personal possessions.

Author Biography

Christiane Zeiller completed her doctoral studies in 2001 on “Max Beckmann. Die fruhen Jahre” and participated in numerous exhibitions and publications on Beckmann. She compiled the “Werkverzeichnis der Skizzenbücher” (2010). Within the framework of her activities as research fellow at the Max Beckmann archives, she is currently making accessible the legacy of Max Beckmann which was bequeathed to the Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen.