Drei Figuren (Three Figures) [p. 34]
1876 to 1900
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
graphite
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.25.23
Art Historical Context
**Drei FigurenThree Figures)** by Max Beckmann invites visitors into the early creative world of one of the 20th century's most influential Expressionist artists. Created between 1876 and 1900—a period spanning Beckmann's childhood and formative years—this graphite drawing captures three figures in a concise, introspective composition. Though Beckmann would later become renowned for his bold, symbolic paintings addressing human suffering and existential themes, this work hints at his developing mastery of form and gesture from a young age. Graphite, a versatile dry medium, allowed Beckmann to...
About the Artist
Max Beckmann
Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (1884-1950) stands as one of the most significant German painters of the twentieth century, a complex artist who bridged Expressionism and the New Objectivity while forging a deeply personal visual language. Born in Leipzig into a middle-class family, Beckmann's artistic journey spanned from academic classicism through the traumatic crucible of World War I to a mature s...