Max Pechstein

(German, 1881–1955)

Max Pechstein was a German Expressionist painter and printmaker known for his boldly colored nudes and landscapes. “Art is not a pastime, it is a duty with respect to the people, a public affair,” the artist once stated. Born Hermann Max Pechstein on December 31, 1881 in Zwickau, Germany, he studied art in Dresden where he met the painter Erich Heckel. In 1906, Heckel invited him to join the collective Die Brücke which had been formed a year earlier by Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Primarily working in the Impressionist tradition, after joining the group Pechstein began painting in a vibrant Fauvist palette. In a similar vein to Paul Gauguin, Pechstein became interested in primitive art from other cultures as an influence after visiting the Dresden Ethnographical Museum. This interest in the imagery and culture of exotic locales is evinced in his vibrant 1910 painting, Indian and Woman. In 1914, the artist traveled to the Palau Islands in the South Pacific so he could experience the culture first-hand. Pechstein’s art was deemed “degenerate” by the Nazi regime in 1933 and he was forced to resign his teaching position at the Berlin Academy, though it was reinstated after the war. He died on June 29, 1955 at the age of 73. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Albertina in Vienna, and the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal, Germany, among others.

Related Categories

19th-Century European and British Art, Drawings and Works on Paper, Impressionist and Modern Art

Related Artists

Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Mueller, Emil Nolde, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff

Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction

Weib mit Inder auf Teppich (+ Früchte II, verso), 1910
Sold price: 4,658,011 USD

Max Pechstein Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Max Pechstein (5,645 results)
Heuhaufen, 1947

Max Pechstein

Heuhaufen, 1947

Sale Date: December 6, 2012

Auction Closed

Zwei Akte führen zwei Pferde, 1911–1913

Max Pechstein

Zwei Akte führen zwei Pferde, 1911–1913

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

Akt III (Stehender weiblicher Akt in..., 1928

Max Pechstein

Akt III (Stehender weiblicher Akt in..., 1928

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

Bewegungsstudie 15, 1918

Max Pechstein

Bewegungsstudie 15, 1918

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

Die Quelle, 1906

Max Pechstein

Die Quelle, 1906

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

Fischerkopf IX, 1921

Max Pechstein

Fischerkopf IX, 1921

Sale Date: December 7, 2012

Auction Closed

Kleine Dampfer, 1911

Max Pechstein

Kleine Dampfer, 1911

Sale Date: December 7, 2012

Auction Closed

Sitzendes Mädchen, 1909

Max Pechstein

Sitzendes Mädchen, 1909

Sale Date: December 7, 2012

Auction Closed

Im Wasser, 1921

Max Pechstein

Im Wasser, 1921

Sale Date: November 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Sich ankleidende Frau, 1917

Max Pechstein

Sich ankleidende Frau, 1917

Sale Date: November 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Bergsee, 1923

Max Pechstein

Bergsee, 1923

Sale Date: November 29, 2012

Auction Closed

Kutter auf der Slip, 1954

Max Pechstein

Kutter auf der Slip, 1954

Sale Date: November 30, 2012

Auction Closed

Waldinneres, 1935

Max Pechstein

Waldinneres, 1935

Sale Date: November 30, 2012

Auction Closed

Fischerboot, 1952

Max Pechstein

Fischerboot, 1952

Sale Date: November 30, 2012

Auction Closed

Mondschein, 1922

Max Pechstein

Mondschein, 1922

Sale Date: November 30, 2012

Auction Closed

Waldinneres, 1919

Max Pechstein

Waldinneres, 1919

Sale Date: November 30, 2012

Auction Closed

Yali VII (Gewitter), pl.7 (from Willy..., 1923

Max Pechstein

Yali VII (Gewitter), pl.7 (from Willy..., 1923

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

Maske, 1918

Max Pechstein

Maske, 1918

Sale Date: December 8, 2012

Auction Closed

Drei Männer am Wagen, 1946

Max Pechstein

Drei Männer am Wagen, 1946

Sale Date: December 7, 2012

Auction Closed

In der Loge, 1908

Max Pechstein

In der Loge, 1908

Sale Date: December 7, 2012

Auction Closed

Vergrämt, 1920

Max Pechstein

Vergrämt, 1920

Sale Date: November 14, 2012

Auction Closed

Mutter und Sohn, 1945

Max Pechstein

Mutter und Sohn, 1945

Sale Date: December 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Kuh mit Frauen, 1923

Max Pechstein

Kuh mit Frauen, 1923

Sale Date: December 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Yali I (Das Findelkind) (+ Yali VII..., 1923

Max Pechstein

Yali I (Das Findelkind) (+ Yali VII..., 1923

Sale Date: December 1, 2012

Auction Closed

English (US)

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