Die Hölle (Hell). Title page: Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait)
About this artwork
This is the title page of Beckmann’s set of lithographs entitled ‘Hell.’ These lithographs chronicle the period of lawlessness, social decay and misery in Germany following the November Revolution of 1918. Dressed in the ruff of a clown and breaking out of the picture frame towards the viewer, Beckmann himself invites us to follow him on a tour of war-ravaged Germany. A text below the self-portrait states, ‘We ask our esteemed public to step forward. You will not be bored for ten minutes. Anyone who is not delighted gets his money back.’
Updated before 2020
see media-
artist:Max Beckmann (1884 - 1950) German
-
title:Die Hölle (Hell). Title page: Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait)
-
date created:1919
-
materials:Lithograph
-
measurements:87.00 x 61.00 cm
-
object type:
-
credit line:Purchased 1981
-
accession number:GMA 2465 A
-
gallery:
-
subject:
Max Beckmann
Max Beckmann
Beckmann was born in Leipzig. He studied in Weimar and Paris before settling in Berlin. At the outbreak of war he volunteered for the medical corps, but in 1915 suffered a nervous breakdown and was later discharged. After seeing the devastating effects of the war on the people of Germany and on the...