The sitter’s features convey both resilience and resignation. She probably played only character roles. Beckmann must have known her well, because he usually portrayed people who were close to him.
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Artwork Details
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Title:The Old Actress
Artist:Max Beckmann (German, Leipzig 1884–1950 New York)
Date:1926
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:39 9/16 × 27 3/4 in. (100.5 × 70.5 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Bequest of William Kelly Simpson, 2017
Object Number:2017.370
Julius Meier-Graefe, Berlin (1926; acquired from the artist); [J. B. Neumann, New York, 1927–30; sold in 1930 to Rockefeller]; Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, New York (1930–at least 1932); her daughter, Abigail Rockefeller Milton Pardee Mauzé, New York (by 1935–d. 1976); her daughter, Marilyn Ellen Rockefeller Milton Simpson, Boston (1976–d. 1980); her husband, William Kelly Simpson, New York (1980–d. 2017; gift of the William Kelly Simpson Revocable Trust to MMA)
Berlin. Nationalgalerie. "Ausstellung von Gemälden jüngerer Künstler aus Deutschland, England, Frankreich und den Vereinigten Staaten," July–August 1926, not in catalogue.
New York. New Art Circle, J. B. Neumann. "Max Beckmann," April 12–May 11, 1927, no. 11 [catalogue published in "Artlover" 2, no. 6].
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "German Painting and Sculpture," March 13–April 26, 1931, no. 6 (as "Old Actress," lent by a private collection, New York).
Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Museum of Art. "Living Artists," November 20, 1931–January 1, 1932, unnum. checklist (as "Old Actress," lent by Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) [published in "Pennsylvania Museum Bulletin," vol. 27, January 1932, p. 68].
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Summer Exhibition: Painting and Sculpture," June 7–October 30, 1932, no catalogue.
Art Institute of Chicago. "A Century of Progress: Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture," May 23–October 31, 1933, no. 745 (lent by a private collection).
New York. Museum of Modern Art. "Summer Exhibition: The Museum Collection and a Private Collection on Loan," June 4–September 24, 1935, no catalogue [added to the exhibition on June 18, 1935].
City Art Museum of Saint Louis. "Max Beckmann, 1948: Retrospective Exhibition," May 10–June 28, 1948, no. 15 (as "Old Actress," lent by Mrs. Irving H. Pardee, New York).
Detroit Institute of Arts. "Max Beckmann, 1948: Retrospective Exhibition," July 1948, no. 15.
Los Angeles County Museum. "Max Beckmann, 1948: Retrospective Exhibition," August 3–September 5, 1948, no. 15.
Baltimore Museum of Art. "Max Beckmann, 1948: Retrospective Exhibition," October 31–November 24, 1948, no. 15.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "Max Beckmann, 1948: Retrospective Exhibition," January 13–February 17, 1949, no. 15.
New York. Museum of Modern Art. "Paintings from Private Collections: A 25th Anniversary Exhibition," May 31–September 5, 1955, no. 2 (as "Old Actress," lent by Mr.and Mrs. Jean Mauzé).
New York. Knoedler Galleries. "A Family Exhibit," April 6–25, 1959, no. 1 (lent by Mr. and Mrs. Jean Mauzé).
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "Max Beckmann," October 1–November 15, 1964, no. 23 (as "Old Actress," lent by Mr. and Mrs. Jean Mauzé, New York).
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Max Beckmann," December 14, 1964–January 31, 1965, no. 23.
Art Institute of Chicago. "Max Beckmann," March 12–April 11, 1965, no. 23.
Hamburg. Kunstverein. "Max Beckmann," May 10–July 4, 1965, no. 23.
Frankfurt. Kunstverein. "Max Beckmann," July 15–September 9, 1965, no. 23.
Buenos Aires. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. "de Cézanne a Miró," May 15–June 5, 1968, unnumbered cat. (p. 51; as "La vieja actriz," lent by Mr. and Mrs. Jean Mauzé, New York).
Santiago. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de la Universidad de Chile. "de Cézanne a Miró," June 26–July 17, 1968, unnumbered cat.
Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas. "de Cézanne a Miró," August 4–25, 1968, unnumbered cat.
Frankfurt. Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut. "Max Beckmann: Frankfurt 1915–1933," November 18, 1983–February 12, 1984, no. 44 (as "Bildnis einer alten Schauspielerin," lent by William Kelly Simpson, USA).
Haus der Kunst, Munich. "Max Beckmann: Retrospective," February 25–April 23, 1984, no. 44 (as "Portrait of an Old Actress," lent by William Kelly Simpson, New York).
Saint Louis Art Museum. "Max Beckmann: Retrospective," September 7–November 4, 1984, no. 44.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "Max Beckmann: Retrospective," December 9, 1984–February 3, 1985, no. 44.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s," November 14, 2006–February 19, 2007, no. 27 (lent by William Kelly Simpson, New York).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Max Beckmann in New York," October 19, 2016–February 20, 2017, no. 9 (lent by a private collection, New York).
Carl Einstein. Die Kunst des 20.Jahrhunderts. Berlin, 1926, pp. 167, 566, ill. p. 466, calls it "Bildnis einer alten Schauspielerin" and locates it in the collection of the artist.
J[ulius]. Meier-Graefe. "Maler aus vier Ländern oder, Der Herr aus Mexiko." Frankfurter Zeitung (August 8, 1926), p. 2.
Max Beckmann. Letter to Reinhard Piper. June 11, 1926, published in Ref. Wiese 1994, p. 42 (letter 375).
Max Beckmann. Letters to Jsrael Ber Neumann. June 26, 1926 and December 4, 1930, published in Ref. Wiese 1994, pp. 49 (letter 382), 185 (letter 550).
Max Beckmann. Letters to Mathilde Beckmann. July 16 and 31, 1926, published in Ref. Wiese 1994, pp. 57 (letter 390), 59 (letter 393).
Max Beckmann. Letter to Ludwig Thormaehlen. July 17, 1926, published in Ref. Wiese 1994, p. 58 (letter 391).
Max Beckmann. Letters to Günther Franke. August 2 and October 1926, published in Ref. Wiese 1994, pp. 61 (letter 395), 72 (letter 409).
Georg Swarzenski. "Um Max Beckmann." Das Neue Frankfurt 1, no. 4 (1927), ill. p. 83, calls it "Dame mit Katze".
C. Adolph Glassgold. "Max Beckmann." Arts 11 (May 1927), pp. 242, 246, ill. p. 243, calls it "Old Actress" in the text and "Portrait of an Old Actress" in the caption.
"In New York Galleries: Beckmann's Art Portrays German Post-War Disillusion—Other Artists' Work." New York Times (April 17, 1927), p. X8.
J. B. Neumann. Letter to Max Beckmann. March 26, [1927], published in Ref. Harter and Wiese 2011, p. 143 (letter 59).
Max Beckmann. Letter to J. B. Neumann. October 10, 1927, published in Ref. Harter and Wiese 2011, p. 179 (letter 69).
Heinrich Simon. Max Beckmann. Berlin, 1930, pl. 11, calls it "Alte Schauspielerin" and locates it in the collection of J. B. Neumann, New York.
A[lfred[. H. B[arr]., Jr. German Painting and Sculpture. Exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art. New York, 1931, pp. 19–20, no. 6, dates it 1923.
Julius Meier-Graefe. "The Contribution of Germany to European Art—Part IV." Creative Art 9 (July 1931), ill. p. 24, calls it "Portrait of an Old Actress" and locates it in the collection of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Philippe Soupault. "Max Beckmann." La Renaissance 14 (March 1931), ill. p. 96.
Carry Ross. "Deutsche Kunst in den Sammlungen New Yorks." Museum der Gegenwart 2, no. 1 (1931), pp. 11–12, ill.
Alfred H. Barr. "Die Wirkung der deutschen Ausstellung in New York." Museum der Gegenwart 2, no. 2 (1931), ill. p. 71 (installation photo, Exh. New York 1931).
Edward Alden Jewell. "Art in Review: Summer Exhibition at Museum of Modern Art Shows Evidence of Careful Planning." New York Times (June 7, 1932), p. 27.
C. J. Bulliet. Art Masterpieces in a Century of Progress Fine Arts Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, 1933, vol. 1, unpaginated, no. 35, ill.
"Among the Exhibitions." New York Times (June 23, 1935), p. X6, ill.
Edward Alden Jewell. "Modern Museum Augments Exhibit: Summer Show Adds Sculpture and Other Art Work to Its Current Display." New York Times (June 18, 1935), p. 19, notes that it was lent to Exh. New York 1935 by Mrs. David Milton [later Abigail Rockefeller Mauzé].
Perry T. Rathbone. Max Beckmann 1948. Exh. cat., City Art Museum of St. Louis. St. Louis, 1948, pp. 31–32, 95, no. 15.
Benno Reifenberg and Wilhelm Hausenstein. Max Beckmann. Munich, 1949, pp. 23, 70, no. 226, pl. 41.
Bernard S. Myers. The German Expressionists: A Generation in Revolt. New York, [1957], pp. 302, 304, fig. 231, lists it in the Irving H. Pardee collection, New York.
Aline B. Saarinen. A Family Exhibit. Exh. cat., Knoedler Galleries. [New York], 1959, pp. 4, 42, no. 1, ill. p. 7, states that it was inherited by Abigail Rockefeller Mauzé.
"Two New York Exhibitions." Arts 33 (April 1959), pp. 20–21, ill.
Hans Martin Frhr. von Erffa and Erhard Göpel, ed. Blick auf Beckmann: Dokumente und Vorträge. Munich, 1962, p. 242, state that this picture was owned by Julius Meier-Graefe.
Peter Selz. Max Beckmann. Exh. cat., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. New York, [1964], pp. 42, 150, no. 23, ill. p. 45 (color).
Hilton Kramer. "The Place of Max Beckmann." Arts Magazine 39 (December 1964), p. 34, ill. p. 38 (color).
Alfred Werner. "Beckmann: Explorer of Life." American-German Review 31 (October–November 1964), ill. p. 27.
Monroe Wheeler. De Cézanne a Miró. Exh. cat., Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires. New York, 1968, p. 51, ill.
Erhard Göpel and Barbara Göpel, ed. Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde. Vol. 1, Katalog und Dokumentation. Bern, 1976, pp. 185–86, 521, 540, no. 255, call it "Bildnis einer alten Schauspielerin".
Erhard Göpel and Barbara Göpel, ed. Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde. Vol. 2, Tafeln und Bibliographie. Bern, 1976, pl. 92.
Fritz Erpel. Max Beckmann. Berlin, 1981, unpaginated, no. 10, ill.
Ingo Begall inMax Beckmann: Frankfurt 1915–1933. Ed. Klaus Gallwitz and Ingo Begall. Exh. cat., Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut. Frankfurt am Main, 1983, pp. 120–21, no. 44, ill. (color).
Christian Lenz inMax Beckmann: Retrospective. Ed. Carla Schulz–Hoffmann and Judith C. Weiss. Exh. cat., Haus der Kunst, Munich. Saint Louis, 1984, p. 231, no. 44, ill. (color).
Michael Voggenauer. "Frankfurt: Max Beckmann." Burlington Magazine 126 (February 1984), p. 119.
Penny Bealle. "J. B. Neumann and the Introduction of Modern German Art to New York, 1923–1933." Archives of American Art Journal 29, no. 1/2 (1989), pp. 9–10, ill.
Penny Joy Bealle. "Obstacles and Advocates. Factors Influencing the Introduction of Modern Art from Germany to New York City, 1912–33: Major Promoters and Exhibitions." PhD diss., Cornell University, 1990, pp. 268, 270, 283, fig. 4.3, calls it "Portrait of an Old Actress".
Stephan von Wiese, ed. Max Beckmann Briefe. Vol. 2, 1925–1937. Munich, 1994, pp. 42, 49, 57–59, 61, 72, 185, 306, 313, 317, 321, 396–97, 411.
Sean Rainbird. "A Dangerous Passion: Max Beckmann's 'Aerial Acrobats'." Burlington Magazine 145 (February 2003), p. 100 n. 21.
Sabine Rewald. Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2006, pp. 9, 112–14, 148, no. 27, ill. (color).
Anabelle Kienle. Max Beckmann in Amerika. Petersberg, Germany, 2008, pp. 16, 24, 26, 160 n. 71, p. 162 n. 148, colorpl. 2, calls it "Bildnis einer alten Schauspielerin".
Kristina Wilson. The Modern Eye: Stieglitz, MoMA, and the Art of the Exhibition, 1925–1934. New Haven and London, 2009, pp. 134, 136, fig. 66 (installation photo, Exh. New York 1932).
Ursula Harter and Stephan von Wiese, ed. Max Beckmann und J. B. Neumann: Der Künstler und sein Händler in Briefen und Dokumenten 1917–1950. Cologne, 2011, p. 128 n. 194, p. 129, p. 130 n. 198, p. 143, p. 178 n. 271, p. 179, p. 200 n. 308, p. 280 (ill. Beckmann's list of works), p. 317.
Sabine Rewald. Max Beckmann in New York. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2016, pp. 17, 68–69, 138 nn. 17, 18, no. 9, ill. (color).
Sabine Rewald in "Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 2016–2018." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 76 (Fall 2018), p. 72, ill. (color).
Anja Tiedemann, ed. Max Beckmann: Catalogue Raisonné der Gemälde. Online resource [beckmann-gemaelde.org], 2021 (ongoing), no. 255, ill. (color), calls it "Portrait of an Old Actress".
Anja Tiedemann, ed. Max Beckmann: Die Gemälde. Ahlen, 2021, vol. 1, p. 323, no. 255, ill. (color).
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