Max Beckmann

Max Beckmann (1884–1950) was a German painter, draftsman, and printmaker whose work profoundly reflected the tumultuous first half of the 20th century. Born into a middle-class family in Leipzig, Beckmann initially pursued an academic style. However, his traumatic experiences as a medical orderly during World War I—which led to a nervous breakdown and his discharge—triggered a dramatic shift in his artistic vision. His depictions became distorted, reflecting a new, often uns…