Max Pechstein

(German, 1881–1955)

Max Pechstein was a German Expressionist painter and printmaker known for his boldly colored nudes and landscapes. “Art is not a pastime, it is a duty with respect to the people, a public affair,” the artist once stated. Born Hermann Max Pechstein on December 31, 1881 in Zwickau, Germany, he studied art in Dresden where he met the painter Erich Heckel. In 1906, Heckel invited him to join the collective Die Brücke which had been formed a year earlier by Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Primarily working in the Impressionist tradition, after joining the group Pechstein began painting in a vibrant Fauvist palette. In a similar vein to Paul Gauguin, Pechstein became interested in primitive art from other cultures as an influence after visiting the Dresden Ethnographical Museum. This interest in the imagery and culture of exotic locales is evinced in his vibrant 1910 painting, Indian and Woman. In 1914, the artist traveled to the Palau Islands in the South Pacific so he could experience the culture first-hand. Pechstein’s art was deemed “degenerate” by the Nazi regime in 1933 and he was forced to resign his teaching position at the Berlin Academy, though it was reinstated after the war. He died on June 29, 1955 at the age of 73. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Albertina in Vienna, and the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal, Germany, among others.

Related Categories

19th-Century European and British Art, Drawings and Works on Paper, Impressionist and Modern Art

Related Artists

Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Mueller, Emil Nolde, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff

Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction

Weib mit Inder auf Teppich (+ Früchte II, verso), 1910
Sold price: 4,658,011 USD

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Max Pechstein (5,313 results)
Interieur, 1922

Max Pechstein

Interieur, 1922

Galerie Thomas

Price on Request

Walliser Hütten (bei Saas Almgell), 1923

Max Pechstein

Walliser Hütten (bei Saas Almgell), 1923

Samuelis Baumgarte Galerie

Price on Request

Stilleben in Grau, 1913

Max Pechstein

Stilleben in Grau, 1913

Galerie Thomas

Price on Request

(Woodblock for the Woodcut

Max Pechstein

(Woodblock for the Woodcut "Fischer am..., 1912

Moeller Fine Art

Price on Request

Russisches Ballett I, 1912

Max Pechstein

Russisches Ballett I, 1912

Jörg Maass Kunsthandel

Price on Request

Bathers with Child, 1920

Max Pechstein

Bathers with Child, 1920

Galerie St. Etienne

Price on Request

Standing Female Nude, 1910

Max Pechstein

Standing Female Nude, 1910

Galerie St. Etienne

Price on Request

Woman Desired by Man (Weib vom Manne begehrt), 1919

Max Pechstein

Woman Desired by Man (Weib vom Manne begehrt), 1919

The Court Gallery

4,500 GBP

The sleeper, 1908

Max Pechstein

The sleeper, 1908

Akim Monet Fine Arts, LLC

Not Available

Head of a Fisherman, 1922

Max Pechstein

Head of a Fisherman, 1922

Akim Monet Fine Arts, LLC

Not Available

The Wounded, 1917

Max Pechstein

The Wounded, 1917

Akim Monet Fine Arts, LLC

Not Available

Akrobaten III, 1912

Max Pechstein

Akrobaten III, 1912

Galerie Nierendorf

Price on Request

Zwiesprache (Dialogue), 1920

Max Pechstein

Zwiesprache (Dialogue), 1920

Simon Theobald

Price on Request

Dance V, 1910

Max Pechstein

Dance V, 1910

Galerie St. Etienne

Price on Request

Angler am Leba-Strom, 1936

Max Pechstein

Angler am Leba-Strom, 1936

Galerie Ludorff

Price on Request

Am Ufer (At the Riverbank), 1920

Max Pechstein

Am Ufer (At the Riverbank), 1920

Harris Schrank Fine Prints

Price on Request

Two Heads (Zwei Kopfe), 1922

Max Pechstein

Two Heads (Zwei Kopfe), 1922

Harris Schrank Fine Prints

Price on Request

The National Assembly: Cornerstone of..., 1918–1919

Max Pechstein

The National Assembly: Cornerstone of..., 1918–1919

Galerie St. Etienne

Price on Request

Boats on the Beach

Max Pechstein

Boats on the Beach

Sale Date: October 22, 2020

Auction Closed

Wartende, 1946

Max Pechstein

Wartende, 1946

Sale Date: December 12, 2020

Auction Closed

Kopf eines Seemannes (Head of a Fisherman), 1922

Max Pechstein

Kopf eines Seemannes (Head of a Fisherman), 1922

Sale Date: January 21, 2021

Auction Closed

Kunstausstellung Zurückgewiesener der..., 1910

Max Pechstein

Kunstausstellung Zurückgewiesener der..., 1910

Sale Date: November 28, 2020

Auction Closed

Der Abend, 1919

Max Pechstein

Der Abend, 1919

Sale Date: November 28, 2020

Auction Closed

Sitzende Palauerinnen, 1919

Max Pechstein

Sitzende Palauerinnen, 1919

Sale Date: November 27, 2020

Auction Closed

English (US)

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