Sleeping Woman (Schlafende)

1923

Max Beckmann

Associated Names
Max Beckmann

Artist, German, 1884 - 1950

The image is a black and white print showing a person sitting in a relaxed position. The person's entire body is visible, and they are depicted sitting on a chair or a structure with layered, geometric features. The person has their head tilted slightly back with one arm resting on top of their head and the other hand gently placed on their crossed knee. Their facial features are neutral, with closed eyes and a calm expression. The hair appears short and dark, with a soft fringe over the forehead. The person is clad in loose-fitting, robe-like attire that drapes naturally around the body. No jewelry is visible, and the person does not appear to be holding any objects. The background is abstract, comprising bold, textured lines and patterns that contrast against the figure.
This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1951.10.255

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hofmaier 1990, no. 272, State ii/ii (B)


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Claude Schaefer [1913-2010], Montevideo, Uruguay; sold 1950 to Lessing J. Rosenwald; [1] gift 1950/1951 to the National Gallery of Art.

[1] In Recollections of a Collector, 1976, p. 56-57, Rosenwald described being approached by a young man in South America who offered to sell his father’s collection of prints that he had brought with him from Germany. Rosenwald gives the year as 1951, but his appointment books confirm that it was actually 1950 - he left for Buenos Aires on 9 February 1950 and returned on 20 March 1950 (Library of Congress, Rosenwald Papers, Box 75). Rosenwald writes that he bought the entire collection of some 1100 prints and drawings, but as they had already been scheduled to be sent to Europe they came to the United States via Antwerp, arriving in the US in late April 1950. Rosenwald decided to keep about a quarter of the collection, destined for the National Gallery of Art, and donate the remainder to other institutions. The inventory log of Alverthorpe indicates that just over 300 works were accessioned there in May of 1950, inventory numbers 50.260-50.530, acquired from Claude Schaefer (Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art, RG 45A1, Rosenwald Papers, Box 41).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1954

  • German Expressionist Prints and Drawings, American University, Washington, D.C., 1954.

Bibliography

1962

  • Gallwitz, Klaus. Max Beckmann. Die Druckgraphik, Radierungen, Lithographien, Holzschnitte. Karlsruhe: Badischer Kunstverein, 1962.

1990

  • Hofmaier, James. Max Beckmann, Catalogue raisonné of his Prints. 2 vols. Bern: Gallery Kornfeld, 1990.

Wikidata ID

Q65362534

You may be interested in

Loading Results