Max Beckmann 'Exile in Amsterdam' at Pinakothek der Moderne

Written by Yannis Warring Sunday, 29 August 2010 00:33

Munich, Germany - The Pinakothek der Moderne has initiated an exhibition that will open at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and then move on to the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich where from 13th September 2007 onwards it will present in extended form more than 100 works. This will be the first showing of almost all the principal works produced by Max Beckmann during his period of exile in Amsterdam between 1937 and 1947. Patron of the project is Germany’s President Horst Köhler.

Max Beckmann (1884-1950) is among the most important artists of the 20th century. The visionary power, magnificent coloring and mysterious symbolism of his paintings have made Beckmann one of the outstanding figures of Modern Art. His ten years in exile in the Netherlands were one of the most creative periods of his life in which he produced around a third of his entire works With an intensity comparable only to that of Picasso, Beckmann’s works fascinate and move us through their magical appeal and invite us to enter into an intensive dialogue. Beckmann expressed the mystery of life in all its ambivalence. His demanding and versatile themes correspond to a broad spectrum of techniques and formats. During his time in Amsterdam Beckmann created not only five triptychs, numerous large-format compositions of figures but also intimate landscape pictures, portraits and nude representations. As well as this, he produced graphic prints on the subject of the »Apocalypse«, drawings dedicated to Goethe’s »Faust II«, mysterious watercolors and small drawings on envelopes.

For Munich this exhibition project has a special significance. The Pinakothek der Moderne is second only to St. Louis, USA, in housing the world’s largest collection of the artist’s paintings. It is also home to the Max Beckmann Archives, which makes it the most important research institution on the artist. Furthermore, Munich was the place where the inhumane cultural policies of the National Socialist regime were most forcefully articulated. Immediately after the broadcast of Hitler’s speech marking the opening of the »Haus der deutschen Kunst« on 18th July 1937, which Beckmann heard in Berlin, he decided to leave Germany. On 19th July, at the beginning of the exhibition on 'Degenerate Art' in the Arcades of Munich’s Hofgarten, the artist emigrated to Amsterdam. Max Beckmann was never to return to Germany.

Known abroad as the "most German" of all German artists, his horror over the injustices of the NS regime, which was manifested in the flight from his German homeland, assumes special significance. Against this background that underlines the particularly explosive nature of the subject, the exhibition serves not only to provide a better understanding of Max Beckmann’s most creative period; it is also highly relevant from the point of view of cultural politics. Seventy years after the exhibition »Degenerate Art« it signifies renewed debate and review of this dark period of Germany’s history, a period which stands in sharp contrast to the timeless brilliance of his works. Out of 'drunken vision' and 'disciplined intoxication' have emerged strangely fascinating and magnificently colored testimonies to the creative energy with which Beckmann reacted to the direct historical and biographical circumstances of the time.

To mark the 70th anniversary of Beckmann’s flight from the National Socialist regime, the Pinakothek der Moderne has succeeded in bringing together for a limited period a major part of the masterpieces he created under adverse conditions in his Amsterdam studio and which were scattered around the globe after the war. The exhibits, among them five of a total nine triptychs, could be won for the exhibition thanks to international loans from leading public and private collections.

The exhibition "Max Beckmann in Amsterdam, 1937-1947 " has been organized in collaboration with the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Accompanying the exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich is the publication " Max Beckmann. Exile in Amsterdam ". With essays by Carla Schulz- Hoffmann, Christian Lenz and Beatrice von Bormann among others. (437 pages, circa 200 illustrations) in English and German, Pinakothek der Moderne/Hatje Cantz Verlag, 39 Euro. ISBN 978-3-7757-1837-0. A comprehensive programme of events will accompany the exhibition.

Visit Pinakothek der Moderne - Kunstareal | Barer Str. 29 - 80799 Munich - Telephone: + 49 89 23805-118 - Website at : www.pinakothek.de