The Bath
- Date
- 1930
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Paris, Île-de-France region, France, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 216
- Dimensions
- 68 7/8 × 47 3/4 in. (174.9 × 121.3 cm)
framed: 74 1/2 × 53 1/4 × 3 1/4 in. (189.2 × 135.3 × 8.3 cm) - Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Object Number
- 846:1983
NOTES
Within a highly compressed space, a woman seems to be removing her towel and getting into the bath alongside a man in a bathing cap. In this work, Max Beckmann represented himself with his first wife, Minna, whom he continued to paint as a subject despite their divorce five years earlier. Minna’s breast is sensually revealed, but her downward gaze suggests an introverted modesty or introspection. The black area along the right of the canvas indicates the artist’s experimentation with abstract color and form as seen in art by contemporaries such as Pablo Picasso.
Provenance
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Paris, France [1]
by 1931 -
Graphisches Kabinett (Günther Franke), Munich, Germany, acquired from the artist
- 1939
Heinrich Fromm (d.1959), Munich, Germany; London, England [2]
1939 - 1956
Galerie Günther Franke, Munich, Germany, acquired from Heinrich Fromm [3]
1956 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Galerie Günther Franke [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Göpel's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 334 [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's list as completed on November 14, 1930 in Paris. He also noted that the painting was purchased by his German art dealer Günther Franke, then head of the Graphisches Kabinett, Munich. According to Göpel, Günther Franke offered the painting to the Nationalgalerie Berlin in 1931.
[2] Heinrich Fromm was a wealthy hops dealer from Augsburg, Germany, who acted as financial backer to the Graphisches Kabinett, Munich. He held a significant amount of the gallery stock in exchange for his investments. In 1935, the business cooperation between Fromm and Günther Franke came to an end. Although Fromm is listed as the current owner in the 1949 publication, there is evidence that the painting had officially transferred back to Franke by then (see note [3]). It is possible that the 1949 publication lacks the most current information [Reifenberg, Benno and Wilhelm Hausenstein. "Max Beckmann." München: R. Piper, 1949].
[3] In a 1974 speech on the occasion of his donation to the Staatsgemäldesammlungen Munich, Franke spoke about the emergence of his private collection. In this context he stated that he was able to reacquire some pictures including "The Bath" from his former financial advisor Heinrich Fromm, before Fromm emigrated to London in 1939. Subsequently, Franke exchanged the painting for a Beckmann still life with the collector Morton D. May [Billeter, Felix. "Max Beckmann und Günther Franke." München: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Max Beckmann Archiv, 2000, 31, 41, and 100].
[4] Purchased February 22, 1956, per correspondence and bill of sale [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
by 1931 -
Graphisches Kabinett (Günther Franke), Munich, Germany, acquired from the artist
- 1939
Heinrich Fromm (d.1959), Munich, Germany; London, England [2]
1939 - 1956
Galerie Günther Franke, Munich, Germany, acquired from Heinrich Fromm [3]
1956 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Galerie Günther Franke [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Göpel's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 334 [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's list as completed on November 14, 1930 in Paris. He also noted that the painting was purchased by his German art dealer Günther Franke, then head of the Graphisches Kabinett, Munich. According to Göpel, Günther Franke offered the painting to the Nationalgalerie Berlin in 1931.
[2] Heinrich Fromm was a wealthy hops dealer from Augsburg, Germany, who acted as financial backer to the Graphisches Kabinett, Munich. He held a significant amount of the gallery stock in exchange for his investments. In 1935, the business cooperation between Fromm and Günther Franke came to an end. Although Fromm is listed as the current owner in the 1949 publication, there is evidence that the painting had officially transferred back to Franke by then (see note [3]). It is possible that the 1949 publication lacks the most current information [Reifenberg, Benno and Wilhelm Hausenstein. "Max Beckmann." München: R. Piper, 1949].
[3] In a 1974 speech on the occasion of his donation to the Staatsgemäldesammlungen Munich, Franke spoke about the emergence of his private collection. In this context he stated that he was able to reacquire some pictures including "The Bath" from his former financial advisor Heinrich Fromm, before Fromm emigrated to London in 1939. Subsequently, Franke exchanged the painting for a Beckmann still life with the collector Morton D. May [Billeter, Felix. "Max Beckmann und Günther Franke." München: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Max Beckmann Archiv, 2000, 31, 41, and 100].
[4] Purchased February 22, 1956, per correspondence and bill of sale [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.