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)
Zwei Mädchen in der Hängematte VIII (Mit..., 1910

Max Pechstein

Zwei Mädchen in der Hängematte VIII (Mit..., 1910

Sale Date: June 4, 2011

Auction Closed

Zerfallenes Haus, 1906

Max Pechstein

Zerfallenes Haus, 1906

Sale Date: June 4, 2011

Auction Closed

Italienerinnen, 1945

Max Pechstein

Italienerinnen, 1945

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Am Ufer, pl. 9 (from Die Schaffenden. 3rd..., 1920

Max Pechstein

Am Ufer, pl. 9 (from Die Schaffenden. 3rd..., 1920

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Somali Tanz, 1910

Max Pechstein

Somali Tanz, 1910

Sale Date: May 31, 2011

Auction Closed

Treidelnde Fischer, 1930

Max Pechstein

Treidelnde Fischer, 1930

Sale Date: May 31, 2011

Auction Closed

Dorfstrasse im Frühling (Leba), 1923

Max Pechstein

Dorfstrasse im Frühling (Leba), 1923

Sale Date: May 31, 2011

Auction Closed

Narzissen, 1901

Max Pechstein

Narzissen, 1901

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Morgen am Haff (Nidden), 1939

Max Pechstein

Morgen am Haff (Nidden), 1939

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Abend auf Palau, 1950

Max Pechstein

Abend auf Palau, 1950

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Ginster, 1927

Max Pechstein

Ginster, 1927

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Beim Graben, 1930

Max Pechstein

Beim Graben, 1930

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Meereslandschaft, 1924

Max Pechstein

Meereslandschaft, 1924

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Dichter Dr. Herbert Eulenberg, 1923

Max Pechstein

Dichter Dr. Herbert Eulenberg, 1923

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Liegender weiblicher akt, 1913

Max Pechstein

Liegender weiblicher akt, 1913

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Zwei weibliche Akte im Meer (Nidden)..., 1911–1912

Max Pechstein

Zwei weibliche Akte im Meer (Nidden)..., 1911–1912

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Nordische Landschaft, 1931

Max Pechstein

Nordische Landschaft, 1931

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Kutter-Slip, 1934

Max Pechstein

Kutter-Slip, 1934

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Mittag im Dorf, 1930

Max Pechstein

Mittag im Dorf, 1930

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Stilleben mit Buddha und Obstschale, 1923–1924

Max Pechstein

Stilleben mit Buddha und Obstschale, 1923–1924

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Badende mit Kind, 1920

Max Pechstein

Badende mit Kind, 1920

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Vergrämt (from Die Schaffenden), 1920

Max Pechstein

Vergrämt (from Die Schaffenden), 1920

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Vergrämt (from Die Schaffenden), 1920

Max Pechstein

Vergrämt (from Die Schaffenden), 1920

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Sitzender Akt, 1918

Max Pechstein

Sitzender Akt, 1918

Sale Date: May 28, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

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