The King
- Depicted
- Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950
- Date
- 1933/37
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Berlin, Berlin state, Germany, Europe
- made in
- Amsterdam, Noord-Holland province, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 216
- Dimensions
- 53 1/8 x 39 3/8 in. (135 x 100 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Object Number
- 850:1983
NOTES
A king with the features of Beckmann himself sits propped on his sword with legs splayed. The woman in the foreground represents the artist’s second wife, Quappi, and the placement of her arm suggests her intimacy with the ruler. Beckmann revised this work in 1937 shortly after his forced exile from Germany by the Nazis who had declared him a “cultural bolshevik”; the artist’s blackening of the painting’s contours at this time has been related to his pessimistic mood.
Provenance
- 1939
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Berlin, Germany; Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
1939 - still in 1949
Stephan Lackner (1910-2000), Santa Barbara, CA, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
- 1950
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY
1950 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Curt Valentin [3]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [4]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Göpel's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 470 [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. This painting appears on Beckmann's 1933 list with a note that says he finished work on the painting in 1937 in Amsterdam. Before it was completed, the painting was exhibited in its first state in 1934 and 1935 ["The 1934 International Exhibition of Paintings." Pittsburgh: Carnegie Institute, 1934, cat. no. 289; "Carnegie International 1934." San Francisco: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1935, cat. no. 37]. In 1937 in Amsterdam, Beckmann revised and completed the painting and signed it.
[2] Stephan Lackner was a lifelong supporter of Max Beckmann and his art. According to Göpel, Lackner acquired this painting in 1939. We know that in September 1938, Beckmann and Lackner closed a contract for the collector to purchase two paintings per month from Beckmann for a flat fee. It is likely that the acquisition of "The King" by Lackner was a result of this arrangement. Lackner may have then brought the picture with him to the United States when he emigrated from France in April 1939. By 1940, the painting was exhibited in San Francisco as well as at the Buchholz Gallery, New York ["Golden Gate International Exhibition." San Francisco: Palace of Fine Arts, 1940, cat. no. 605; "Max Beckmann Paintings 1936-39." New York: Buchholz Gallery Curt Valentin, 1940, cat. no. 5]. In 1949, according to Reifenberg and Hausenstein, the painting was still in Lackner's possession [Reifenberg, Benno and Wilhelm Hausenstein. "Max Beckmann." München: R. Piper, 1949, cat. no. 367].
[3] The sale of the painting is documented in an invoice dated July 5, 1950 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[4] 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.
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Berlin, Germany; Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
1939 - still in 1949
Stephan Lackner (1910-2000), Santa Barbara, CA, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
- 1950
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY
1950 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Curt Valentin [3]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [4]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Göpel's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 470 [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. This painting appears on Beckmann's 1933 list with a note that says he finished work on the painting in 1937 in Amsterdam. Before it was completed, the painting was exhibited in its first state in 1934 and 1935 ["The 1934 International Exhibition of Paintings." Pittsburgh: Carnegie Institute, 1934, cat. no. 289; "Carnegie International 1934." San Francisco: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1935, cat. no. 37]. In 1937 in Amsterdam, Beckmann revised and completed the painting and signed it.
[2] Stephan Lackner was a lifelong supporter of Max Beckmann and his art. According to Göpel, Lackner acquired this painting in 1939. We know that in September 1938, Beckmann and Lackner closed a contract for the collector to purchase two paintings per month from Beckmann for a flat fee. It is likely that the acquisition of "The King" by Lackner was a result of this arrangement. Lackner may have then brought the picture with him to the United States when he emigrated from France in April 1939. By 1940, the painting was exhibited in San Francisco as well as at the Buchholz Gallery, New York ["Golden Gate International Exhibition." San Francisco: Palace of Fine Arts, 1940, cat. no. 605; "Max Beckmann Paintings 1936-39." New York: Buchholz Gallery Curt Valentin, 1940, cat. no. 5]. In 1949, according to Reifenberg and Hausenstein, the painting was still in Lackner's possession [Reifenberg, Benno and Wilhelm Hausenstein. "Max Beckmann." München: R. Piper, 1949, cat. no. 367].
[3] The sale of the painting is documented in an invoice dated July 5, 1950 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[4] 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.