Kunsthalle Bremen
September 30, 2017 to February 4, 2018
Museum Barberini, Potsdam
February 23–June 10, 2018
Max Beckmann (1884–1950) was fascinated by the world of the theater, the circus, and music halls as metaphorical settings for human relationships and world affairs. In his oeuvre one finds numerous paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures which allude directly to these subject areas and convey his idea of the world as a stage.
This exhibition focuses extensively on the imagery and history of ideas in Beckmann’s “world theater” and illustrates how the painter and author of two hitherto neglected dramas viewed himself as a “theater manager, director, and scene-shifter.”
The core of the exhibition is formed by the extensive holdings of the Kunsthalle Bremen, which possesses one of the largest Beckmann collections in Germany including paintings and a nearly complete collection of the artist’s printed works. It is supplemented by loans from major German and international museums and private collections.
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