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)
Blondes Mädchen III, 1908

Max Pechstein

Blondes Mädchen III, 1908

Sale Date: December 9, 2011

Auction Closed

Morgennebel am Ostseestrand, 1949

Max Pechstein

Morgennebel am Ostseestrand, 1949

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Die Schwalben sammeln sich (Ückeritz i...., 1949

Max Pechstein

Die Schwalben sammeln sich (Ückeritz i...., 1949

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Reisebilder. Italien - Südsee (bk w/50 works , 1919

Max Pechstein

Reisebilder. Italien - Südsee (bk w/50 works , 1919

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Liegender weiblicher Akt, 1913

Max Pechstein

Liegender weiblicher Akt, 1913

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Mädchenkopf mit rotem Haar, 1910

Max Pechstein

Mädchenkopf mit rotem Haar, 1910

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Bergstudie 4 (Genfer See) (study), 1924

Max Pechstein

Bergstudie 4 (Genfer See) (study), 1924

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Weib mit Inder auf Teppich (+ Früchte II,..., 1910

Max Pechstein

Weib mit Inder auf Teppich (+ Früchte II,..., 1910

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Wetterleuchten Lugano, 1925

Max Pechstein

Wetterleuchten Lugano, 1925

Sale Date: December 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Dolores - Köpfe VII (from Köpfe - 12..., 1917

Max Pechstein

Dolores - Köpfe VII (from Köpfe - 12..., 1917

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Heidenstamm III, 1918

Max Pechstein

Heidenstamm III, 1918

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Vater Unser (portfolio of 12 w/title), 1921

Max Pechstein

Vater Unser (portfolio of 12 w/title), 1921

Sale Date: December 1, 2011

Auction Closed

Fischerkopf I, 1911

Max Pechstein

Fischerkopf I, 1911

Sale Date: December 1, 2011

Auction Closed

Akt in Landschaft, 1911

Max Pechstein

Akt in Landschaft, 1911

Sale Date: December 1, 2011

Auction Closed

Mädchen mit Handspiegel, 1910–1911

Max Pechstein

Mädchen mit Handspiegel, 1910–1911

Sale Date: December 1, 2011

Auction Closed

Erlegung des Festbratens, 1911

Max Pechstein

Erlegung des Festbratens, 1911

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Teuber auf der Bank am Bahnhof, pl. 2 (from Der...

Max Pechstein

Teuber auf der Bank am Bahnhof, pl. 2 (from Der...

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Im Harem, 1909

Max Pechstein

Im Harem, 1909

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Mondaufgang in den Dünen der Kurischen..., 1935

Max Pechstein

Mondaufgang in den Dünen der Kurischen..., 1935

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Akt, 1912

Max Pechstein

Akt, 1912

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Fruchtschale, 1930

Max Pechstein

Fruchtschale, 1930

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Dampfer und Kahn, 1911

Max Pechstein

Dampfer und Kahn, 1911

Sale Date: December 1, 2011

Auction Closed

Das Modell (beim Ankleiden), 1917

Max Pechstein

Das Modell (beim Ankleiden), 1917

Sale Date: November 26, 2011

Auction Closed

Bauernhof unter grosser Wolke, 1933

Max Pechstein

Bauernhof unter grosser Wolke, 1933

Sale Date: November 25, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.