Otto Gerstenberg

18 January 1918

The Max Liebermann Cabinet opens at the National Gallery

The cabinet promised by the director Ludwig Justi opened on 18 January; the Minister of Education, Friedrich Schmidt-Ott, gave the inauguration speech.

November 1918

The November Revolution: machine guns in his house

Monarchists installed machine guns in Liebermann's house on Pariser Platz, so revolutionary soldiers stormed the palace; when a bullet passed through the wall into the drawing room, the defenders surrendered. Liebermann brought his valuable picture collection to safety and moved with his wife into their daughter's house for a few weeks.

1920

Elected president of the Academy of Arts

After the war and revolution Liebermann took over the Academy and tried to unite the various currents beneath its roof, Expressionism included: under him Max Pechstein, Karl Hofer, Heinrich Zille, Otto Dix and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff were admitted. He gave it a democratic structure and a free system of education.

1920s

Defends Otto Dix's “Trench”

Liebermann supported Dix's emotional depiction of the horror of the world war, which was accused of being tendentious, calling it one of the most important works of the post-war period. At the same time, despite his basically tolerant views, he polemicized against Ludwig Justi, who brought Expressionists to the National Gallery.

1922

The murder of Walther Rathenau

The murder of his relative and companion by right-wing activists deeply disturbed Liebermann. Around then he produced lithographs for Heinrich Heine's “Rabbi von Bacharach”, numerous paintings of his garden, and drawings in memory of fallen Jewish soldiers at the front.