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Max Liebermann

Max Liebermann was one of Germany's most celebrated painters and a pioneer of modern European art. Renowned for his luminous Impressionist landscapes, intimate portraits and scenes of everyday life, he helped introduce French Impressionism to Germany while developing a distinctive style rooted in naturalism and direct observation.

Born in Berlin in 1847, Liebermann studied at the Weimar Art School before travelling extensively through the Netherlands, France and Italy. His early works focused on labourers and rural life, reflecting the influence of artists such as Jean-François Millet. Liebermann returned to Berlin in 1884 and, by the 1890s, his style had evolved towards Impressionism, inspired by Édouard Manet and the French avant-garde. Gardens, parks, horse riders and bathers became his defining subjects, rendered with richly textured brushwork and a subtle tonal palette.

A champion of artistic innovation, Liebermann became the founding president of the Berlin Secession in 1898 — an organisation established to challenge the conservatism of the official academies and promote progressive art. His influence extended beyond his own practice through senior roles in Germany's artistic institutions, culminating in the presidency of the Prussian Academy of Arts from 1920 to 1932. Following the rise of the Nazi regime, Liebermann — who was Jewish — was forced to resign from his positions and many of his works were removed from public collections. He died in 1935.

Interest in Liebermann’s work was revived in the 1970s, and today his paintings are held in major museum collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.