Max Beckmann – Gute Freunde

Die Sammlung Classen

Max Beckmann – Good Friends. The Classen Collection

Anyone who knows the work of Max Beckmann (1884–1950) will be thrilled by the exhibition at the Augustinermuseum – Haus der Graphischen Sammlung in Freiburg, which assembles graphic and portfolio works as well as book illustrations from the artist’s time in Frankfurt. And what a time it was! The intensity of the images casts a spell over visitors. People coming into contact with Max Beckmann for the first time are immediately drawn in by the unique work of this extraordinary chronicler of his time.

The catalog that accompanies the exhibition reflects this very intensity. The cover itself presents us with the artist’s piercing, analytical gaze. The colors of the exhibition design—a powerful yellow and a deep, dark blue—are taken up in the catalog where they serve to underline the themes of nightlife, variety shows, and fairs that are the focus of the exhibition. This hardcover book is characterized by a yellow spine that literally shines out of every bookshelf, inviting you to dip into this look at Beckmann over and over again.