The Argonauts [left panel]

1949/1950

Max Beckmann

Associated Names
Max Beckmann
Artist, German, 1884 - 1950
This vertical painting depicts two people creating art. In the background, a male figure with light skin and brown hair faces the right, leaning towards a large blank canvas and holding a paintbrush and a palette. He wears a short-sleeved shirt with checkered patterns. In front of him, a female figure sits atop what appears to be a pale-yellow helmet, her body facing the left and her head turned away from us. She has light, pink-toned skin and dark hair put up in a bun. Her torso is nude, and she has a red cloth wrapped around her left arm. Her legs are mostly bare aside from a short green garment and high yellow sandals. In her hands, she holds a long blue sword. There is a small potted plant in the bottom left corner, and the background is in muted tones of light gray.
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Max Beckmann planned to paint a ninth and final triptych called "The Artists," with the left panel representing painting, the right panel music, and the middle panel, with its central, garlanded figure, poetry. He was moved by a dream to rename it The Argonauts, after the heroes of Greek mythology who traveled with Jason in search of the Golden Fleece. Beckmann's middle panel has at its center the poet Orpheus, at his right Jason, and at his left the sea god Glaucus, who in one ancient account foretells the future to Jason and Orpheus. The woman brandishing a sword in the left panel represents Medea, and the women in the right panel serve as a chorus.

The painting's title may also allude to a group of poets and painters with whom Beckmann associated during his years in Amsterdam, 1937-47, who called themselves "the Argonauts." Indeed, multiple references to Beckmann's art and his life are evident throughout the three panels, making The Argonauts a complex autobiographical allegory as well as a broader allegory of the life of the artist; a saga of worldly travail and eternal reward.

On View
East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann

  • Dimensions

    left panel: 184.1 × 85.1 cm (72 1/2 × 33 1/2 in.)
    framed: 190.5 × 91.44 × 5.08 cm (75 × 36 × 2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1975.96.1.a

Associated Artworks

This painting contains three panels showing scenes of people, painted with bold, angular lines and shapes. In the first panel on the far left, a mostly nude woman holding a sword-like object sits opposite a man with a palette. He stands in front of a large canvas and appears to be painting the woman. The middle panel features three people, one holding a ladder and another holding what appears to be a large bird, with the third person standing in front of them and facing away from us. Two of the people are nude and the third wears only pants. The rightmost panel portrays individuals surrounded by musical instruments, including a stringed instrument held by one person and a sheet of music in another's hand. All three panels are painted with bold, thick lines, and shades of light pink, purple, and gray dominate the piece, with areas of purple, green, and light blue.

The Argonauts

Max Beckmann
1949
The artwork features a composition of strong vertical and diagonal lines, with an abstract depiction of three figures. In the center, a ladder-like structure is prominent. The figures are painted in a style that emphasizes musculature and form. The background contains abstract shapes and colors, including circular and curved forms. This combination of elements creates a dynamic and layered scene.

The Argonauts [middle panel]

Max Beckmann
1949
The artwork shows a group of four people playing musical instruments. The central figure is a woman with blonde hair, wearing a blue top and green skirt, holding a stringed instrument. Her mouth is open. To her right, another person with short hair is visible, holding a sheet of music. Behind them, a woman with her back to the viewer is dressed in a purple dress with a yellow sash and a blue headpiece. In the foreground, a person with curly hair plays a wind instrument, wearing a white garment with green accents. The background features abstract architectural elements and foliage.

The Argonauts [right panel]

Max Beckmann
1949

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. 15, repro.

1953

  • Deutsche Kunst: Meisterwerke des 20. Jahrhunderts, Kunstmuseum, Lucerne, 1953, no. 240.

1969

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

1978

  • Aspects of Twentieth-Century Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978-1979, no. 59, repro.

1996

  • Max Beckmann in Exile, Guggenheim Museum Soho, New York, 1996-1997, no. 20, repro.

1997

  • Exiles and Emigrés: The Flight of European Artists from Hitler, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Musée des Beaux Arts, Montreal; Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, 1997-1998, no. 16, fig. 45.

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. 163, repro.

2009

  • Drei - Das Triptychon in der Moderne [Three - The Triptych in Modern Art], Stiftung Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, 2009, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

2011

  • Beckmann & America, Städel Museum, Frankfurt, 2011-2012, no. 104, repro.

2017

  • Max Beckmann: The World as a Stage, Kunsthalle Bremen; Museum Barberini, Potsdam, 2017-2018.

2018

  • Max Beckman: Exile Figures, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid; CaixaForum Barcelona, 2018-2019, no. 61, repro.

Bibliography

1989

  • Strick, Jeremy. Twentieth Century Painting and Sculpture: Selections for the Tenth Anniversary of the East Building. Washington, D.C., 1989: repro. 68, 69.

1992

  • National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 264, repro.

1997

  • Selz, Peter. Beyond the Mainstream, Essays on Modern and Contemporary Art, 1997, no 58, repro.

1998

  • Max Beckmann: Zeichnugen aus dem Nachla Mathilde Q. Beckman. Bonn:1998, 50-51, repro.

2004

  • Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 428-429, no. 357, color repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20194247

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