Max Pechstein

Over three hundred of Max Pechstein’s paintings were forcibly removed from German museums during the Nazi era as part of a campaign that officially classified his work as Degenerate Art. Born in Zwickau in 1881, the German painter and graphic artist became a significant figure in the development of Expressionism through his formal training and his membership in the group Die Brücke.

Early Career and Die Brücke

Before attending the School of Applied Arts and the Royal Art Academy in Dresden, Pechstein worked as a decorator in his hometown. He began his formal training under Otto Gussmann in 1902. By 1906, he joined Die Brücke, marking him as the only member to possess formal academic credentials. His exposure to South Seas wood carvings at a Dresden museum in 1905 inspired his initial woodcut experiments. Following a period in Italy and Paris, where he encountered Kees van Dongen, Pechstein moved to Berlin in 1908 and eventually chaired the New Secession after a conflict with the Berlin Secession exhibition committee.

THE FREE TEST

How high is yours?

Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.

Take the IQ test →

Travels and Wartime Experience

Pechstein’s departure from Die Brücke occurred in 1912 after he exhibited work independently. His artistic style shifted toward a more angular, primitive aesthetic, prompting a journey to Palau in the Pacific. Upon the outbreak of World War I, he was interned in Japan before returning to Germany through routes including Shanghai and New York. He subsequently served on the Western Front starting in 1916. Post-war, despite his traditionally conservative stylistic approach, he joined radical socialist organizations such as the November Group and the Arbeitsrat für Kunst.

Political Persecution and Later Years

The Nazi rise to power in 1933 resulted in his dismissal from his professorship at the Berlin Academy and a total prohibition on his exhibition and production. He retreated to rural Pomerania for the duration of this suppression. Reinstated in 1945, he spent his remaining years receiving national honors, including the Berliner Kunstpreis in 1954 and the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He passed away in 1955 and was interred at Friedhof Schmargendorf.

Legacy and Market Returns

A prolific printmaker, Pechstein produced hundreds of lithographs, woodcuts, and etchings during his career. Many of his works originally held by Jewish collectors were seized under Nazi persecution, leading to contemporary restitution cases involving pieces such as White House, Meadow Valley, and Nus dans un paysage. Significant market interest remains, with works like The Yellow Mask I and Zirkus mit Dromedaren achieving high valuations at international auctions.