Falling Man

1950

Max Beckmann

Associated Names
Max Beckmann

Artist, German, 1884 - 1950

This painting depicts an upside-down person falling through the sky. The person is turned away from us; they have short, dark hair, pale skin, and are mostly nude except for a green cloth partially draped across their back. They are falling through a blue sky with white, curving clouds. On either side of the person are two large buildings. The building on the left is yellow, and one of the upper windows shows fire and dark smoke. At the bottom of that building is a small group of green cacti. The building on the right appears to be made of dark brick, and a long window shows green curtain-like shapes against a red interior. Behind the falling person, in the distance, are other shapes that look like colorful birds or people on hammocks or canoes. On the left edge of the painting is a thick, black, curving line. The colors in the painting have been applied with thick, wide brushstrokes.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann

  • Dimensions

    overall: 141 × 88.9 cm (55 1/2 × 35 in.)
    framed: 156.85 × 105.09 × 4.45 cm (61 3/4 × 41 3/8 × 1 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1975.96.3

More About this Artwork

Article:  Poet Naomi Shihab Nye Responds to a Painting by Max Beckmann

The Palestinian-American poet is inspired by "Falling Man" by Max Beckmann, her mother’s teacher.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1884-1950]; by inheritance to his wife, Mathilde Q. Beckmann [1904-1986], New York; gift 1975 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1951

  • Max Beckmann, Buchholz Gallery, New York, 1951, no. 13, repro.

1969

  • Max Beckmann in America: An Exhibition of Paintings 1947-1950, Catherine Viviano Gallery, New York, 1969, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1996

  • Max Beckmann in Exile, Guggenheim Museum Soho, New York, 1996-1997, no. 21, repro.

  • Max Beckmann, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome, 1996, no. 43, repro.

1997

  • Max Beckmann, Fundación Juan March, Madrid, 1997, no. 33, repro.

  • Max Beckmann: Die Nacht, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf, 1997, no. 84, repro.

1998

  • Max Beckmann - Landschaft als Fremde, Hamburger Kunsthalle; Kunsthalle Bielefeld; Kunstforum Wien, Vienna, 1998-1999, no. 83, repro.

2002

  • Max Beckmann, un peintre dans l'histoire (French title); Max Beckmann (Engligh title), Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London; The Museum of Modern Art, Queens, Long Island City, 2002-2003, no. 160, repro.

2005

  • Max Beckmann - Fernand Léger. Unerwartete Begegnungen (Max Beckmann - Fernand Léger. Surprising Confrontations), Museum Ludwig, Cologne, 2005, no. 78, repro.

2011

  • Beckmann & America, Städel Museum, Frankfurt, 2011-2012, no. 82, repro.

2013

  • Dix/Beckmann: Mythos Welt, Städtische Kunsthalle Mannheim; Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, 2013-2014, no. 97, repro.

2016

  • Max Beckmann in New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2016-2017, no. 39, repro.

2018

  • Max Beckman: Exile Figures, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid; CaixaForum Barcelona, 2018-2019, no. 60, repro.

Bibliography

1997

  • Kruszynski, Anette. Max Beckmann: Die Nacht. Exh. cat. Kunstsammlung Nordrhein - Westfalen, Düsseldorf, 1997, no. 84, repro.

Inscriptions

upper left: Beckmann N.Y 50

Wikidata ID

Q20194344

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