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Article: Beckmann on Beckmann. (Max Beckmann's self-portrait series, Gagosian Gallery, New York, New York)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- March 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A recent show of self-portraits reminds the author of how Max Beckmann survived persecution and exile to produce works that helped revitalize the figurative tradition.
In the late 1940s when I was an art student at the University of Iowa, the school bought a large Beckmann triptych, Carnival (1942/43). It was the first work by a modern master that I could see every day. We were the first generation of university-trained artists, and our studies included a heavy dose of art history. In Beckmann we found a model of resolution between the complex story-telling modes of traditional painting and the impact of modernism.
Over the years my admiration for ...