Max Beckmann: Dream of Life
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Max Beckmann: Dream of Life Details
About the Author Max Beckmannwas born in Leipzig in 1884 to a family of farmers. He began his formal studies in 1900 at the Weimar Art Academy and moved to Paris soon after with his new wife. Drafted into World War I, he was deemed unfit to serve in the Second, and spent the war years in Germany, outlawed by Hitler from exhibiting his "degenerate" paintings. After the war, he came to America, taking up the post of Painter-in-Residence at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. In the late 1940s he moved to Manhattan, where he died of a heart attack en route to see his work in a show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 27, 1950. Read more
Reviews
This is a very elegant book.first rate reproductions in color. The text type is easy on the eyes. This is a catalogue for an exhibition of Beckman in the new Klee museum in Berne Suisse.The locals were somewhat aghast at Beckmann coming to the Klee museum. The curators had no trouble seeing similarities in the two artists work. Both were fans of theater. Beckmann wrote some plays himself. He was interested in Shakespeare ,as well as the circus.The comparison/contrast of Klee-Beckmann is the first chapter of the book.Other chapters are about his interest in music. His love of the carnival and circus. The chronology in the back of the book goes into many details of the artist's career. He sought beautiful ,talented wealthy women to advance socially. After he married Quappi he was accepted into advanced social circles in Frankfurt.I have several books on Beckmann and one a book of his landscapes ,a catalogue of the show at the Forum gallery that I saw in Vienna has work that isn't in any other book. Beckmann's "A Dream Of Life" has a few landscapes that are new to me as well.This book is well worth the Amazon price.It isn't so big that you can't read it while in bed.So, many art books might look good on a cocktail table but , when you want to read it you need to go to a library table.Another feature I liked is the addition of Beckmann's reading list...with commentary about the books by Tilman Osterwold.