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)
Hafenszene, 1920

Max Pechstein

Hafenszene, 1920

Sale Date: November 7, 2008

Auction Closed

Das gelbe Haus: Waldausgang mit Hochsommerdüne, 1919

Max Pechstein

Das gelbe Haus: Waldausgang mit Hochsommerdüne, 1919

Sale Date: November 6, 2008

Auction Closed

Stilleben mit Goldfischglas, 1930

Max Pechstein

Stilleben mit Goldfischglas, 1930

Sale Date: November 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Die Quelle (The source), 1906

Max Pechstein

Die Quelle (The source), 1906

Sale Date: November 12, 2008

Auction Closed

Malaie, 1917

Max Pechstein

Malaie, 1917

Sale Date: October 31, 2008

Auction Closed

Stillleben mit Kalla in Westerwälder Krug, 1923

Max Pechstein

Stillleben mit Kalla in Westerwälder Krug, 1923

Sale Date: October 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Rauchender Schweizer, 1923

Max Pechstein

Rauchender Schweizer, 1923

Sale Date: October 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Fischer mit Fang im Netz, 1923

Max Pechstein

Fischer mit Fang im Netz, 1923

Sale Date: October 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Einäugige Mutter, 1921

Max Pechstein

Einäugige Mutter, 1921

Sale Date: October 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Komposition mit drei Palauakten, 1918

Max Pechstein

Komposition mit drei Palauakten, 1918

Sale Date: October 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Akt in den Dünen, 1917

Max Pechstein

Akt in den Dünen, 1917

Sale Date: October 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Mutter und Kind, 1927

Max Pechstein

Mutter und Kind, 1927

Sale Date: October 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Frau mit Pelz, 1917

Max Pechstein

Frau mit Pelz, 1917

Sale Date: October 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Fischer am Ufer - Sonntag der Fischer, 1923

Max Pechstein

Fischer am Ufer - Sonntag der Fischer, 1923

Sale Date: October 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Der Säugling, 1917

Max Pechstein

Der Säugling, 1917

Sale Date: October 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Akrobaten III, 1912

Max Pechstein

Akrobaten III, 1912

Sale Date: October 28, 2008

Auction Closed

HMPechstein - Boettcher Mappe (portfolio of 9), 1948

Max Pechstein

HMPechstein - Boettcher Mappe (portfolio of 9), 1948

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Bildnis Dr. Paul Fechter- Rauchend, 1919

Max Pechstein

Bildnis Dr. Paul Fechter- Rauchend, 1919

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Südsee, Reisebilder 30 - Suezkanal (from..., 1919

Max Pechstein

Südsee, Reisebilder 30 - Suezkanal (from..., 1919

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Vier Akte am Meer (from Heinrich Lautensack..., 1917

Max Pechstein

Vier Akte am Meer (from Heinrich Lautensack..., 1917

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Die Mütter (+ catalogue w/ 1 work), 1948

Max Pechstein

Die Mütter (+ catalogue w/ 1 work), 1948

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Selbstbildnis, 1948

Max Pechstein

Selbstbildnis, 1948

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Südsee - Reisebilder 32 - Auf Ceylon, 1919

Max Pechstein

Südsee - Reisebilder 32 - Auf Ceylon, 1919

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Ein guter Fang, 1948

Max Pechstein

Ein guter Fang, 1948

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.