About the Artwork
Max Beckmann often painted imagined arrangements of objects, inspired by the observed world. This still life foregrounds two differently shaped vases serving as receptacles for lilies or irises whose bright green leaves contrast with their intensely white blooms. Beckmann’s deliberate color juxtapositions continue in the green bowl of fiery red fruits and the red panel below the green patterned wall. The stark outlines of the flowers, vases, and fruits harmonize with the bold black mullions between window panes and the rhythmic quality of what appears to be a musical keyboard in the background. In 1937, Beckmann fled Nazi-governed Germany to Amsterdam, hoping to eventually immigrate to the United States — a plan realized only after the war ended. He arrived in 1947 in St. Louis, where he then lived and worked for two years. There, he started this painting and finished it after his relocation to New York.
Still Life with Lilies
1949
Max Beckmann
1884-1950
German
Unknown
Oil on canvas
Overall: 37 1/4 × 24 inches (94.6 × 61 cm) Framed: 43 1/2 × 31 7/8 × 2 5/8 inches (110.5 × 81 × 6.7 cm)
Paintings
European Modern Art to 1970
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Kamperman
50.20
Copyright not assessed, please contact rightsrepo@dia.org.
Markings
Signed and dated, lower center: Beckmann N Y 49
Provenance
(Buchholz Gallery [1937-1955], New York, New York, USA)
Dr. and Mrs. George Kamperman
1950-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
Please note: This section is empty
The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Die Kunst und das Schone Heim, vol. 49, no.5 (February 1951): p. 97, 175.
Pallas, vol.14, no. 20 (December 20, 1950): p. 230.
Bulletin of the DIA 29, no.3. p. 73, (ill.).
Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.
Suggest FeedbackCatalogue Raisoneé
Please note: This section is empty
Credit Line for Reproduction
Max Beckmann, Still Life with Lilies, 1949, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Kamperman, 50.20.
Feedback
We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction or improvement.
Suggest Feedback![Still Life with Lilies](https://dia.widen.net/content/fyurpxcizk/webp/50.20-d1-2018-07-03.webp?quality=100)
![Still Life with Lilies](https://dia.widen.net/content/fyurpxcizk/webp/50.20-d1-2018-07-03.webp?w=500&quality=75)