Skizze für Frühe Menschen (Sketch for Early Men) [p. 9]
1876 to 1900
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
page size: 21 x 16.2 cm (8 1/4 x 6 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.56.7
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the National Gallery of Art can discover *Skizze für Frühe Menschen (Sketch for Early Men)* [p. 9], a delicate graphite drawing on paper by Max Beckmann. Created between 1876 and 1900, this intimate sketch measures just 21 x 16.2 cm, likely page 9 from a personal sketchbook. Beckmann, a towering figure in German Expressionism (1884–1950), began his artistic journey in his youth, and works like this offer a glimpse into his early explorations. Donated by his widow, Mrs. Max Beckmann, it carries a poignant personal history, now housed in the museum's CG-W Department. Graphite on pap...
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...