Max Pechstein

Born in Zwickau in 1881, Hermann Max Pechstein is considered one of the most important painters and graphic artists of the Classical period Modern art. With his idiosyncratic style within the artists' association "Brücke", he created expressive, colorful works whose formal language remained less distinctive in comparison to the other members. Instead, the trained decorative painter emphasizes the decorative elements, creating impressive figure paintings, still lifes and landscapes.

In 1906, Pechstein met Erich Heckel and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in Dresden and joinedBrücke, remaining a member until 1912. After completing his art studies in Dresden in 1907, Pechstein traveled for several months through Italy and France, where he was significantly influenced by Fauvism and from then on work its intense use of color into his work . In 1908, he moved to Berlin and, after his works were rejected by the Berlin Secession, founded the “Neue Secession” with other rejected artists such as Heckel and Kirchner. In the years that followed, Pechstein spent the summer months in Nidden and at the Moritzburg Lakes. He produced primarily nude and landscapes. Already fascinated by the peaceful culture and aesthetics of Palau duringBrücke, Pechstein undertook a trip to the South Sea island in 1914 that was planned to last several months; however, he was forced to leave early due to the outbreak of World War I. After his military service, he increasingly turned away from the expressive style. With the National Socialists’ rise to power in Germany, Pechstein’s works were denounced as “degenerate,” and he was banned from exhibiting starting in 1933. In 1945, Pechstein accepted a professorship at the Berlin Academy of Arts and participated in the first edition of documenta in Kassel in 1955. Pechstein died in Berlin that same year.