A Life
Medium
Series of fourteen etchings (fifteen in the edition) with original cardboard portfolio
Dimensions
24 3/16 x 17 11/16 x 13/16 in. (61.5 x 45 x 2 cm)
Classification
Portfolios
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Gift of A. G. Raskin, 1963
Accession Number
63.572.2(1–15)
Tags
Art Historical Context
**A Life (Ein Leben)**, created by Max Klinger between 1884 and 1898, is a monumental series of fourteen etchings (with a fifteenth in certain editions), housed in its original cardboard portfolio. This ambitious print cycle, printed with assistance from Wilhelm Felsing traces the allegorical journey of a woman's life from birth to death, blending intimate human experiences with fantastical, dreamlike visions. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in1963 through a purchase and gift, it exemplifies Klinger's prowess as a German Symbolist artist associated with the Vienna Secession and Muni...
About the Artist
Max Klinger|Max Klinger|Wilhelm Felsing · 1857–1920
Max Klinger, born on February 18, 1857, in Leipzig to a wealthy family, emerged as one of Germany's most innovative artists across painting, sculpture, printmaking, and graphics. Demonstrating early talent, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe in 1874 as a pupil of Karl Gussow, following his teacher to the Berlin Academy upon Gussow's appointment as director, and graduated in 1877 ...