In coordination with the special exhibition, “Max Beckmann: The Formative Years, 1915-1925,” Neue Galerie New York is delighted to host a lecture series with a focus on different aspects of the German artist's career.

Limited space is available for programs at the Neue Galerie, so please be sure to register in advance for tickets. See below to reserve and purchase tickets. If you would like assistance, please email [email protected] or call +1 (212) 994-9493.

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“IT’S IN MY PICTURES”

MAX BECKMANN AND HIS REDEFINITION OF MODERN ART

Olaf Peters, Professor at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Exhibition curator Olaf Peters presents a lecture exploring the dramatic shift in Max Beckmann's art during World War I through the early years of the Weimar Republic. Evidenced by the artist's own words and his body of work from 1915 to 1925, the presentation investigates the moment Beckmann felt the urge to reconceptualize himself as a Modern artist, both mired in historical circumstances — war, defeat, revolution, democracy — and propelled by developments in art — Cubism, Abstraction, Dadaism and New Objectivity.

This event is organized in conjunction with the Neue Galerie’s Weekend with Beckmann, a series of public programs celebrating the opening of the special exhibition

Thursday, October 5, 6:30 P.M.

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LOOKING AT BECKMANN

Join us at Neue Galerie New York for a panel discussion on Max Beckmann featuring renowned artists in conversation. Moderator Professor Tom Wolf will lead a discussion with participants Mary Frank, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, and Mark Schlesinger about the ongoing relevance of Beckmann’s oeuvre on contemporary art production, exploring how his comments on the early twentieth century continue to fascinate us today. Plus, Mary Frank will share her personal experience with Beckmann, as she studied with the artist in his final year of life in 1949.

This event is organized in conjunction with the Neue Galerie’s Weekend with Beckmann, a series of public programs celebrating the opening of the special exhibition

Saturday, October 7, 6:00 P.M.

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THE HELL OF THE BIRDS

Robert Storr, Professor and Dean Emeritus of the Yale School of Art

Coming into his own in an era of trauma and dislocations – much like our present day – Max Beckmann was deeply ambivalent about the promises of "modernity," even as he was profoundly affected by the ruptures and conflicts of his moment and milieu. Caught between what philosopher Antonio Gramsci called "an old world that was dying and a new one that cannot be born (yet)," Beckmann turned away from more or less realistic representation toward claustrophobic, heavily charged allegories of an apocalyptic present. This talk will range from his experiences in and renditions of World War I, to his Neue Sachlichkeit depictions of Weimar Germany, on through to his congested, dialectical, often multipanel portrayals of a world coming apart at the seams.

Thursday, October 26, 6:30 P.M.

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MAX BECKMANN, POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT AND THE TIGHTROPE WALK OF LIFE

Sharon Jordan, Professor at Lehmann College at City University of New York (CUNY)

During his prolific career, Max Beckmann depicted characters from circuses, fairs, and varieté shows in numerous paintings and prints. By employing figures from popular entertainment, including the acrobat and the clown, the artist commented on the circumstances of modern society, and the human condition at large. Professor Sharon Jordan will delve into these recurrent themes and how symbols of spectacle expressed the particular challenges faced by Beckmann and his contemporaries throughout the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s.

Thursday, November 16, 6:30 P.M.

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BANNER IMAGE

Max Beckmann, Landscape near Frankfurt (with Factory), 1922, oil on canvas. Rose Art Museum. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Henry N. Abrams. Photo: akg-images. © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York