Sculptor’s Studio
- Date
- 1946
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Amsterdam, Noord-Holland province, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 39 3/4 x 47 11/16 in. (101 x 121.1 cm)
framed: 47 1/4 x 55 1/8 x 2 in. (120 x 140 x 5.1 cm) - Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Object Number
- 855:1983
NOTES
Sculptor’s Studio is one of the most focused meditations on the artist’s studio space that Max Beckmann produced. Here, he rendered space as a visual puzzle that combines real and dream-like elements. In his diary, Beckmann referred to this painting as “Mirror Studio,” indicating that the rectangular and circular forms dominating the composition are mirrors. These overlapping objects reflect a crowded interior. Among the many layers, a naked woman is seen from behind—perhaps a model preparing to pose. On the left, seeming to hover somewhere between the reflected and the imaginary, is the eerie presence of a female figure, bisected by a sword.
While best known as a painter and printmaker, Beckmann took up sculpture in the mid-1930s and often incorporated sculptural elements into his later paintings. The dark, masculine head, seen in the oval mirror yet not in front of it, is similar to a bust he made of himself a decade before.
Provenance
- 1948
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
1948 - 1949
Curt Valentin (1902-1954), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
1949 - 1965
Selma Rosen (1912-2005) and Israel Rosen (1912-1988), Baltimore, MD, USA, purchased from Curt Valentin [3]
1965 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Selma and Israel Rosen [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and later notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's Amsterdam list as number 19. Beckmann notes that he began work on the painting on June 2 and completed it on December 18, 1946. He also noted that the painting was purchased by his dealer, Curt Valentin, and then "Dr. Rosen Baltimore" [Beckmann Estate, Berlin].
[2] According to records maintained by Morton D. May, Curt Valentin acquired the work in 1948 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[3] According to a letter from Curt Valentin to Max Beckmann, dated January 24, 1949, Israel and Selma Rosen purchased the work from Valentin in 1949 [Curt Valentin Papers, III.A.5, Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York]. The catalogue "The Selma and Israel Rosen Collection" cites the date of purchase as January 18, 1949 ["The Selma & Israel Rosen Collection" n.d., unpaginated].
[4] Per invoice from Israel Rosen, M.D. to Morton D. May dated June 7, 1965 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. The catalogue "The Selma & Israel Rosen Collection" cites the date of sale as June 15, 1965 [see note [3]].
[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.
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
1948 - 1949
Curt Valentin (1902-1954), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
1949 - 1965
Selma Rosen (1912-2005) and Israel Rosen (1912-1988), Baltimore, MD, USA, purchased from Curt Valentin [3]
1965 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Selma and Israel Rosen [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and later notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's Amsterdam list as number 19. Beckmann notes that he began work on the painting on June 2 and completed it on December 18, 1946. He also noted that the painting was purchased by his dealer, Curt Valentin, and then "Dr. Rosen Baltimore" [Beckmann Estate, Berlin].
[2] According to records maintained by Morton D. May, Curt Valentin acquired the work in 1948 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[3] According to a letter from Curt Valentin to Max Beckmann, dated January 24, 1949, Israel and Selma Rosen purchased the work from Valentin in 1949 [Curt Valentin Papers, III.A.5, Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York]. The catalogue "The Selma and Israel Rosen Collection" cites the date of purchase as January 18, 1949 ["The Selma & Israel Rosen Collection" n.d., unpaginated].
[4] Per invoice from Israel Rosen, M.D. to Morton D. May dated June 7, 1965 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. The catalogue "The Selma & Israel Rosen Collection" cites the date of sale as June 15, 1965 [see note [3]].
[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.
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