Max BeckmannGerman, 1884–1950Malepartus, plate eight from Die Hölle
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Malepartus, plate eight from Die Hölle” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked October 12, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Max Beckmann named this print after a nightclub in Frankfurt am Main, where he was staying with friends after his discharge from the army for mental exhaustion. He aptly said of this period and the chaotic but stiff postwar world depicted here: “Just now, even more than before the war, I feel the need to be in the cities among my fellow men. This is where our place is. We must take part in the whole misery that is to come. We must surrender our heart and our nerves to the dreadful screams of pain of the poor disillusioned people.”
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 1989.685.8
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
In the life of Max Beckmann
The whole lifeduring the First World War
A nervous breakdown and discharge from the army
His traumatic experience of the war coincides with a dramatic change of style, from academically correct depictions to a distortion of both figure and space. He is discharged from the military after a nervous breakdown.
during the First World War
Volunteers as a medical orderly in the First World War
Beckmann volunteers for the war and serves as a medical orderly, working in a hospital.
1921
A contract with the Berlin print dealer J. B. Neumann
In 1921 Beckmann signs an exclusive contract with the Berlin print dealer J. B. Neumann.
