(Leipzig 1884–1950 New York)
Selbstbildnis mit steifem Hut, 1921, signed Beckmann, inscribed 2. Zustand, dry point on laid paper, 32.5 x 24 cm (image size), 45 x 32.5 cm (sheet size), framed

Provenance:
Private Collection Thomas Olbricht, Essen

Literature:
James Hofmaier: Max Beckmann - catalogue raisonné of his prints, vol. II, 1921–1948, Bern 1990, no. 180/III/B

Max Beckmann created a large number of self-portraits throughout his life. The ‘Self-Portrait with Stiff Hat’ is one of the most expressive of the artist’s printed self-portraits and is thus considered a major work in his oeuvre. It exists in several states, which means that the artist worked on the printing plate again and again; he documented the individual states by making prints. The self-portrait shows the artist with a stiff collar, suit and bowler hat, holding a cigarette in his left hand. His frontal portrait is restricted to the bust and is close to the edge of the picture. In the background, a cat sitting on a small table can be seen on the left and a paraffin lamp on the right. The lamp, however, casts no discernible light. Instead, the artist’s face is illuminated by a light source outside the frame.
The present sheet is the third state following the clarification of the background, but before its complete disappearance in the fourth state. The print offered here is erroneously labelled “2nd state” by someone else’s hand on the lower left. Comparing the two states, it is noticeable that Beckmann further elaborated the light and dark in the third state, so that the strong contrasts enrich the self-portrait. The self-portrait, painted in 1921, is one of the milestones of 20th century German graphic art.