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)
Beim Schnaps II, 1922

Max Pechstein

Beim Schnaps II, 1922

Sale Date: November 29, 2007

Auction Closed

Der Holzfäller, 1919

Max Pechstein

Der Holzfäller, 1919

Sale Date: November 29, 2007

Auction Closed

Fischerboote am Strand, 1950

Max Pechstein

Fischerboote am Strand, 1950

Sale Date: December 5, 2007

Auction Closed

Liegender Akt, 1917

Max Pechstein

Liegender Akt, 1917

Sale Date: December 5, 2007

Auction Closed

Zwei Akte, 1918

Max Pechstein

Zwei Akte, 1918

Sale Date: December 5, 2007

Auction Closed

Stillleben mit Chrysanthemen und Fächer, 1917

Max Pechstein

Stillleben mit Chrysanthemen und Fächer, 1917

Sale Date: December 5, 2007

Auction Closed

Sommer III

Max Pechstein

Sommer III

Sale Date: November 28, 2007

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (Kühe auf der Weide)

Max Pechstein

Ohne Titel (Kühe auf der Weide)

Sale Date: November 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Im Wasser, 1921

Max Pechstein

Im Wasser, 1921

Sale Date: November 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Rauchender Schweizer, 1923

Max Pechstein

Rauchender Schweizer, 1923

Sale Date: November 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Sonnenblumen, 1912

Max Pechstein

Sonnenblumen, 1912

Sale Date: November 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Pappel nach dem Regen, 1919

Max Pechstein

Pappel nach dem Regen, 1919

Sale Date: November 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Stilleben mit Blumenstock, 1913

Max Pechstein

Stilleben mit Blumenstock, 1913

Sale Date: November 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Kopf eines Seemannes - Fischerkopf, pl. 19..., 1922

Max Pechstein

Kopf eines Seemannes - Fischerkopf, pl. 19..., 1922

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (4 works from Das Vater Unser), 1921

Max Pechstein

Ohne Titel (4 works from Das Vater Unser), 1921

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Der Kritiker (Dr. Paul Fechter), 2002–2004

Max Pechstein

Der Kritiker (Dr. Paul Fechter), 2002–2004

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Palaufamilie (from Südsee Reisebilder), 1919

Max Pechstein

Palaufamilie (from Südsee Reisebilder), 1919

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Männlicher Kopf, 1917

Max Pechstein

Männlicher Kopf, 1917

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Fischerhafen auf Fehmarn, 1953

Max Pechstein

Fischerhafen auf Fehmarn, 1953

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Bei der Kornernte (from sketchbook), 1932

Max Pechstein

Bei der Kornernte (from sketchbook), 1932

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Auf dem Feld, 1949

Max Pechstein

Auf dem Feld, 1949

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Blick auf Florenz, 1913

Max Pechstein

Blick auf Florenz, 1913

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Kanal mit Häusern, 1933

Max Pechstein

Kanal mit Häusern, 1933

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Weiblicher Halbakt, 1949

Max Pechstein

Weiblicher Halbakt, 1949

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

English (US)

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