Beckmann Sketchbook 19

1917-1937

Max Beckmann

Associated Names
Max Beckmann

Artist, German, 1884 - 1950

This is an image showing the front cover of an old, worn notebook. The notebook has a plain, brown color with visible signs of wear such as creases and small stains. The left edge has a vertical black binding strip typical of a bound journal. The cover displays subtle textures and markings, giving it an aged appearance.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    sketchbook with 26 sketches in graphite, including one on the inside of the back cover, 11 blank pages and 3 missing sheets (6 pages)

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 22.2 × 22.3 × 0.4 cm (8 3/4 × 8 3/4 × 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1984.64.25.1-25

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Zeiller/Presler 2010, 452-469

Associated Artworks

See all 25 artworks
The image depicts an abstract composition of interlocking shapes and lines resembling human faces and bodies in various orientations. The sketch, drawn in dark ink on a light background, includes forms suggesting heads and torsos viewed from different angles, creating a dynamic and crowded scene. These abstract forms hint at familiar objects such as faces with features like eyes, noses, and mouths, albeit with distorted proportions and perspectives, contributing to the image's abstract character.

Figuren in Interieur (Figural Group in Interior) [p. 1]

Max Beckmann

1884

The image shows a series of loosely drawn curves and lines overlapping to create an abstract composition. In the center, there are various looping and squiggly lines intertwined. Below, a wavy line extends across the page. The sparse linear elements in the background and periphery contribute to a sense of openness, leaving much of the space unadorned and giving focus to the central abstract forms.

Begonnene Skizze (Unfinished Sketch) [p. 3]

Max Beckmann

1884

The image shows scattered, angular lines and shapes creating an abstract composition. The pencil lines vary in thickness, forming geometric shapes that may resemble parts of a robotic or mechanical structure. In one corner, a set of parallel lines outlines an object, while other areas contain overlapping forms suggestive of gears or machine parts. The abstraction also includes shapes resembling human limbs, intersecting with linear compositions evoking a vehicle or industrial design.

Vergewaltigungs- oder Mordszene und Skizze mit maskiertem Mann (Sketch of a Rape or Murder and Sketch with Masked Man) [p. 4]

Max Beckmann

1884

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mrs. Max Beckman, Peoria; gift to NGA, 1984.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1997

  • "Max Beckmann: Die Nacht", Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf, 1997.

Bibliography

2010

  • Zeiller, Christiane, Gerd Presler.Max Beckmann : die Skizzenbücher = the sketchbooks. II. Ostifildern, 2010: 452-469, nos. inside cover, 1r/v, 7r, 8r, 9r, 10r/v, 12r/v, 13r, 14r, 17r/v, 18r/v, 19r/v, 10v, 21r/v, 22 r/v, 23r/v, 25v.

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