Profil eines Mannes mit Spitzbart (Portrait of a Man with a Pointed Beard) [p. 64]
1926 to 1950
![Profil eines Mannes mit Spitzbart (Portrait of a Man with a Pointed Beard) [p. 64] by Max Beckmann](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/profil-eines-mannes-mit-spitzbart-portrait-of-a-nga-64965.webp)
Medium
graphite on perforated, cream paper
Dimensions
sheet: 14 x 20 cm (5 1/2 x 7 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.42.10
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Max Beckmann's *Profil eines Mannes mit Spitzbart (Portrait a Man with a Point Beard)* is a striking graphite drawing on perforated cream paper, created sometime between 1926 and1950. Measuring just 14 x 20 cm, this intimate profile captures a man with a distinctive pointed beard, rendered with Beckmann's characteristic economy of line and psychological intensity. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Department of Modern Drawings (CG-W), it was generously gifted by Mrs. Maxmann, the artist's widow, preserving a personal glimpse into his prolific sketchbook practice. As a leading figure in German Expressionism, Beckmann infused his works with raw emotion and social commentary, often reflecting the turmoil of the interwar years, Nazi persecution, and his exile in Amsterdam and later the United States. This drawing, from his mature period, exemplifies his mastery of graphite, where sharp, perforated edges suggest it came from a portable sketchpad—ideal for an artist in constant motion. The profile view evokes Renaissance traditions while twisting them through modernist distortion, highlighting Beckmann's blend of classical form and existential depth. Though small in scale, this piece reveals Beckmann's genius for portraiture, turning a simple study into a profound character sketch. Visitors will appreciate how such drawings served as vital precursors to his monumental paintings and triptychs, offering a window into the mind of one of the 20th century's most resilient visionaries.
About the Artist
Max Beckmann · 1884–1950
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...