MAX BECKMANN: From Germany to Saint Louis

Max Beckmann, born in Saxony, Germany, in 1884, was one of the most important painters of the first half of the 20 th century.

In 1937, Adolf Hitler convinced the German public that modern German art was degenerate. He mounted a public exhibition mocking the work of artists, including Max Beckmann. Leaving a successful career, Beckmann and his wife fled to Amsterdam to escape further persecution.

Beckmann worked for the next ten years in Amsterdam. But even physically removed from the war his work still addressed themes of chaos and the artist’s feelings of vulnerability.

Done in his early days in Amsterdam, this painting shows Beckmann disguised as the king. A mysterious hooded figure stands to the rear. Is it protecting or threatening the king?

Exiled from his homeland, Beckmann found escape in circuses and cabarets. Much of his work from the early 1940s depicted characters from these performances.

This triptych, Acrobats, presents a snake handler, acrobats, and costumed performers. In it, we see human interaction through performance.

Acrobat on Trapeze, is a portrait that brings one performer into focus. Behind him we see another acrobat and, far below, the crowd and a group of clowns.

In 1947, promised a teaching position, Beckmann left Amsterdam for St. Louis, Missouri.

At prestigious Washington University, Beckmann taught in the art school as an assistant professor. In St. Louis, he also found generous patrons who bought his work.

Masquerade, created in St. Louis, features two figures. Their masks hide the figures’ true identity and prevent communication between them.

After two years in St. Louis, Beckmann moved to New York City where he died shortly after Christmas in 1950.

Max Beckmann redefined art in the early 20 th century. His style, characterized by vigorous brushwork and bold black lines, still inspires strong reactions. His mysterious characters leave us puzzling over the artist’s view of what life is about.

Image Credits Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950; Self-Portrait in Blue Jacket, 1950; oil on canvas; 55 1/8 x 36 in.; Bequest of Morton D. May; Saint Louis Art Museum © 2005 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. 866: 1983 Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950; Self-Portrait, 1922; woodcut; image: 6 1/16 x 8 3/4 in.; Neumann/Frumkin Collection, purchased with funds provided by the bequest of Morton D. May, by exchange, the bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn in honor of her father, David May, by exchange, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Museum Shop Fund, Mr. and Mrs. Lester A. Crancer Jr., Phoebe and Mark Weil, The Sidney S. and Sadie Cohen Print Purchase Fund, Mr. and Mrs. David C. Farrell, the Julian and Hope Edison Print Fund, gift of George Rickey, by exchange, bequest of Helen K. Baer, by exchange, Suzanne and Jerry Sincoff, Museum Shop Fund, by exchange, gift of the Buchholz Gallery, by exchange, Museum Purchase, by exchange, Jerome F. and Judith Weiss Levy, bequest of Horace M. Swope, by exchange, and funds given by Fielding Lewis Holmes through the 1988 Art Enrichment Fund, by exchange ; Saint Louis Art Museum © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / VG Bild-Kunst. 329:2002 Max Beckmann, German, 1884 – 1950; Self-Portrait in Bowler Hat, c. April 1921; drypoint; 12 5/8 x 9 9/16 in.; Neumann/Frumkin Collection, purchased with funds provided by the bequest of Morton D. May, by exchange, the bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn in honor of her father, David May, by exchange, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Museum Shop Fund, Mr. and Mrs. Lester A. Crancer Jr., Phoebe and Mark Weil, The Sidney S. and Sadie Cohen Print Purchase Fund, Mr. and Mrs. David C. Farrell, the Julian and Hope Edison Print Fund, gift of George Rickey, by exchange, bequest of Helen K. Baer, by exchange, Suzanne and Jerry Sincoff, Museum Shop Fund, by exchange, gift of the Buchholz Gallery, by exchange, Museum Purchase, by exchange, Jerome F. and Judith Weiss Levy, bequest of Horace M. Swope, by exchange, and funds given by Fielding Lewis Holmes through the 1988 Art Enrichment Fund, by exchange; Saint Louis Art Museum © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. 337: 2002 Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950; The King, 1933–37; oil on canvas; 53 1/8 x 39 3/8 in.; Bequest of Morton D. May ; Saint Louis Art Museum © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. 850:1983 Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950; Acrobats, 1939; oil on canvas; left panel: 78 3/4 x 35 7/16 in., center panel: 78 3/4 x 66 15/16 in., right panel: 78 3/4 x 35 7/16 in. ; Bequest of Morton D. May 851:1983a-c; Saint Louis Art Museum © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. 851:1983a-c Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950,; Acrobat on Trapeze, 1940; oil on canvas; 57 3/8 x 35 7/8 in.; Bequest of Morton D. May ; Saint Louis Art Museum © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. 852:1983 St. Louis, Image: Missouri Historical Archives, Jefferson City, MO Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950; Masquerade, 1948; oil on canvas; 64 3/4 x 34 3/4 in.; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr.; Saint Louis Art Museum © 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. 587:1958 Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950; Young Men by the Sea, 1943; oil on canvas; 75 3/8 x 39 1/2 in.; Museum Purchase ; Saint Louis Art Museum © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. 106:1946