Beckmann Sketchbook 51

1944-1949

Max Beckmann

Associated Names
Max Beckmann

Artist, German, 1884 - 1950

This is a photograph of a blank page in a sketchbook. The image shows a plain, off-white sheet of paper within a sketchbook. In the top right corner, there is a handwritten note in ink that reads "Sketchbook No 25." The page appears slightly aged with minor spots and creases, and the horizontal edges of the sketchbook are visible, with a hint of a blue cover on the left edge. The composition emphasizes the simplicity of an untouched canvas.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    sketchbook with 28 sketches in graphite, pen and black ink, and blue ball-point pen; 21 blank pages including a half sheet, and at least 1.5 missing sheets.

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann

  • Dimensions

    book: 20.7 x 16.3 x 1 cm (8 1/8 x 6 7/16 x 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1984.64.38.1-28

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Zeiller/Presler 2010, 884-901

Associated Artworks

See all 28 artworks
The image consists of loosely drawn lines and shapes, including zigzag patterns, circular forms, and rectangular blocks. The composition may evoke familiar objects like a figure amid a chaotic environment with walls or barriers created by the zigzag lines. The round shapes resemble heads or spherical objects, while the rectangular shapes suggest building blocks or furniture. This abstract arrangement invites interpretation with connections to scenes of everyday life.

Interieur mit zwei Figuren (Interior with Two Figures) [p. 11]

Max Beckmann

1944

The image displays a hand-drawn sketch of a person's head and partial face. The drawing is a minimalistic pencil outline on an off-white piece of paper. The head is in left profile, upside down. It includes an outlined nose, partially visible eye, eyebrow, and ear. The hair is represented with scribbled lines for a curly texture at the back. The sketch is on a blank background, with page texture visible at the edges. There are no other elements in the image.

männliche Bildnisstudie (Male Profile) [p. 12]

Max Beckmann

1944

This image is a hand-drawn sketch of a person's face. The sketch shows a frontal view of the person's head, featuring expressive facial details such as closed eyes, a long nose, and a slightly downturned mouth with prominent lines. The hair is indicated by loose, sketchy lines, suggesting a full head of hair that is parted on one side. The sketch is set against a plain background.

männliche Bildnisstudie (Male Portrait) [p. 13]

Max Beckmann

1944

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

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

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2007

  • Max Beckmann in Amsterdam: 1937-1947, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, 2007-2008.

Bibliography

2010

  • Zeiller, Christiane, Gerd Presler.Max Beckmann : die Skizzenbücher = the sketchbooks. II. Ostifildern, 2010: 884-901.

Inscriptions

in blue ink by later hand on cover: 24 pages / with 29 drawings / (and 6 empty sheets) / Max Beckmann / Sketchbook No.25; some sketches are dated; 7 pages with notations by later hand including initial page numbers on pages 5, 7, 9, 26, and 28; page 54 by later hand: Sketchbook No. Q.B. 25

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