Self-Portrait in Bowler Hat (Selbstbildnis mit steifem Hut)
Max Beckmann
German, 1884–1950
1921
A 1921 drypoint self-portrait in which Max Beckmann confronts his own image—using incised, sketchlike lines and a stiff bowler hat to probe character and presence.
You'd first notice the unflinching, frontal stare beneath the rounded bowler, where forceful cross-hatching and angular marks both model and fracture the face and hands, making the figure feel solid yet faceted.
Made in the unsettled aftermath of World War I, this print demonstrates Beckmann’s melding of Expressionist intensity with austere modern clarity and asserts printmaking’s capacity to carry the psychological and formal ambitions of contemporary art.
Medium
Drypoint
Dimensions
plate: 12 5/16 x 9 5/8" (31.3 x 24.4 cm); sheet: 17 1/2 x 12 3/4" (44.5 x 32.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Anonymous gift
Accession
500.1942
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
