The Städel Museum has one of the most important Beckmann collections in the world. His works have been collected and studied for more than 100 years. In the winter of 2025, the Städel Museum will turn the spotlight on Max Beckmann (1884–1950) as a draughtsman. Around eighty works—many of them on public display for the first time—will document the development of his graphic œuvre, from early sketches to late painterly masterpieces.
About the Exhibition
Drawing was of existential importance to Beckmann and accompanied him through all phases of his work. In drawing, he shaped his personal worldview, creating works with pencil, charcoal, chalk and pastel that transformed fleeting impressions into meaningful, multi-layered compositions. The exhibition shows Beckmann at his most intense and creative. Selected paintings and coloured works on paper also provide an insight into the artistic process and the interplay between different media.
The exhibition coincides with the publication of the three-volume catalogue raisonné of Beckmann’s drawings compiled by Hedda Finke and Stephan von Wiese. In addition to drawings from the Städel Museum’s own collection, the exhibition features loans from renowned international museums and private collections. This comprehensive special exhibition invites visitors to rediscover one of the most important artists of the 20th century through hitherto little-known facets of his work.
Curators
Hedda Finke and Stephan von Wiese (Catalogue raisonné of Max Beckmann’s drawings), Dr Regina Freyberger (Head of Prints and Drawings after 1800, Städel Museum)
Max Beckmann (1884–1950)
Woman with Candle (Quappi), 1928
Chalk over pencil on drawing cardboard, 628 x 488 mm
Kunstmuseum Basel, Kupferstichkabinett
Photo: Kunstmuseum Basel
Max Beckmann (1884–1950)
Tram Stop, 1945
Pen and black ink over pencil on machine-made wove paper, 325 x 355 mm
Collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Loan from Stichting Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Purchased with the support of Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht
Photo: Tom Haartsen
Max Beckmann (1884–1950)
Flooded City, c. 1928 (?)
Chalk over pencil on drawing cardboard, 581 x 468 mm
Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig, Dauerleihgabe aus dem Nachlass Mathilde Q. Beckmann
Photo scan: Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig
Max Beckmann (1884–1950)
The Murder, 1933
Watercolour and gouache over charcoal on machine-made wove paper, 498 × 455 mm
Städel Museum, Dauerleihgabe aus der Sammlung Karin & Rüdiger Volhard
Photo: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Sponsors & Patrons
Sponsored by
Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, Dagmar-Westberg-Stiftung
With additional support from
Franz Dieter und Michaela Kaldewei Kulturstiftung
Cultural Partner
hr2-kultur
