Large Picture of Women. Fisherwomen
- Date
- 1948
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Amsterdam, Noord-Holland province, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 216
- Dimensions
- 75 1/8 x 55 1/8 in. (190.8 x 140 cm)
framed: 83 7/16 x 63 3/8 x 2 1/8 in. (211.9 x 161 x 5.4 cm) - Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 859:1983
NOTES
In this painting, Max Beckmann uses intense black lines around blocks of color, creating an effect comparable to stained glass. He depicts a group of three provocatively dressed women who may be prostitutes or even actresses backstage. Notably, each holds a fish, lending an allegorical meaning to the painting since the fish symbolized the human soul for Beckmann. These women may therefore be seen as "fishing" for the souls of men; the central woman even carries a fishing pole.
Provenance
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
- 1949
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist
1949/06/06 - 1983
Morton D. May, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Buchholz Gallery [2]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [3]
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 1948:9. Beckmann notes that he began the painting on June 25 and finished it on July 15, 1948 in Amsterdam. He later noted that it was purchased by Morton D. May through Beckmann's dealer, Curt Valentin [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976, cat. no. 777]. Beckmann had emigrated to the United States in 1947 and settled in Saint Louis. He spent the summer of 1948, however, in Amsterdam where he began work on this piece. He returned to Saint Louis, via New York, in September.
[2] This sale is documented in Morton D. May's object record and invoice [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[3] 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.
- 1949
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist
1949/06/06 - 1983
Morton D. May, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Buchholz Gallery [2]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [3]
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 1948:9. Beckmann notes that he began the painting on June 25 and finished it on July 15, 1948 in Amsterdam. He later noted that it was purchased by Morton D. May through Beckmann's dealer, Curt Valentin [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976, cat. no. 777]. Beckmann had emigrated to the United States in 1947 and settled in Saint Louis. He spent the summer of 1948, however, in Amsterdam where he began work on this piece. He returned to Saint Louis, via New York, in September.
[2] This sale is documented in Morton D. May's object record and invoice [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[3] 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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