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Works by Max Liebermann
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Born July 20, 1847 - Died February 8, 1935
Most famous German Jewish painter. Used inherited wealth to build a large art collection. Obsessively painted self portraits (but to be fair, they are very good).
Served as a medic during the Franco-Prussian war. Quit as president of the Prussian Academy of Art when they banned Jewish artists. His death in 1933 saved him from deportation to a concentration camp. His wife was not so lucky, outlived him, and was told to get on a train. She killed herself instead.
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Before Max Liebermann went balls deep into the art world, he studied law and philosophy at the University of Berlin.
Of course, he couldn’t resist the pull of his creative inclinations and ended up studying painting and drawing in Paris, Weimar, and the Netherlands. As a Jewish artist in what later became Nazi Germany, Liebermann was seldom given the credit he deserved. He was President of the esteemed Prussian Academy of Arts when they decided to stop showing the works of Jewish artists and he quickly resigned from the position in outrage. While watching the Nazis march through the Brandenburg Gate, Liebermann reportedly commented “I could not possibly eat as much as I would like to throw up.” Same here, Max.
Despite the considerable restrictions imposed upon him, Liebermann remained a leader (and badass) in the artistic community. He became a leading German impressionist known for his extensive art collection and advocacy for the separation of art and politics. He was also very familiar with the art of the selfie and painted numerous self-portraits before his death in 1935.
Despite his considerable fame, Liebermann’s passing was not reported in the Nazi-controlled media. Still, more than one hundred friends and relatives defied the Gestapo’s official orders and attended his funeral at the Jewish Cemetery. His death saved him from deportation to a concentration camp, but his wife did not share the same (mis)fortune. When she was told to get on a train, she killed herself instead.
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Here is what Wikipedia says about Max Liebermann
Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important collection of French Impressionist works.
The son of a Jewish banker, Liebermann studied art in Weimar, Paris, and the Netherlands. After living and working for some time in Munich, he returned to Berlin in 1884, where he remained for the rest of his life. He later chose scenes of the bourgeoisie, as well as aspects of his garden near Lake Wannsee, as motifs for his paintings. Noted for his portraits, he did more than 200 commissioned ones over the years, including of Albert Einstein and Paul von Hindenburg.
Liebermann was honored on his 50th birthday with a solo exhibition at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin, and the following year he was elected to the academy. From 1899 to 1911 he led the premier avant-garde formation in Germany, the Berlin Secession. Beginning in 1920 he was president of the Prussian Academy of Arts. On his 80th birthday, in 1927, Liebermann was celebrated with a large exhibition, declared an honorary citizen of Berlin and hailed in a cover story in Berlin's leading illustrated magazine. But such public accolades were short-lived. In 1933 he resigned when the academy decided to no longer exhibit works by Jewish artists, before he would have been forced to do so under laws restricting the rights of Jews. His art collection, which his wife inherited after his death, was looted by the Nazis after her death in 1943.
In his various capacities as a leader in the artistic community, Liebermann spoke out often for the separation of art and politics. In the words of arts reporter and critic, Grace Glueck, he "pushed for the right of artists to do their own thing, unconcerned with politics or ideology." His interest in French Realism was offputting to conservatives, for whom such openness suggested what they thought of as Jewish cosmopolitanism.
Check out the full Wikipedia article about Max Liebermann
“I could not possibly eat as much as I would like to throw up.” I'm going to use that. Also, I want to see some Lieberman self portraits. I don't care if he is a dead white guy. Step up your Lieberman game, Sartle!