Portrait of Carl Couple, Max Beckmann
Max Beckmann
Portrait of Carl Couple
DE
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Max Beckmann

Portrait of Carl Couple, 1918


Dimensions
65.5 x 55.0 x 2.5 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
LG 76
Acquisition
On permanent loan from a private collector since 2006
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 9

Texts

About the Work

Walter and Käthe Carl were among the first to collect Beckmann’s paintings in Frankfurt. The artist had met the couple through Walter Carl’s sister Fridel Battenberg and was henceforth a frequent guest at their flat in the city’s Westend district. Painted on commission, the portrait is an outstanding example of the transformation that had come about in Beckmann’s style during World War I. Inspired by his intense exploration of the printmaking medium, the artist now constructed confined spatial stages in which the subjects are physically close, but inwardly distant from one another. Like the leafless trees and darkened sky, the house facades that form the threatening backdrop can be read as symbols of the precarious circumstances prevailing at the end of the war.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Portrait of Carl Couple
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Work Catalogues
  • Göpel 2021, Nr. 199

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Dauerleihgabe aus Privatbesitz
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
On permanent loan from a private collector since 2006

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Persons Shown
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
Secondary

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Last update

24.11.2023