Gabriel von Max

Gabriel von Max (1840 Prague – 1915 Munich), a painter of Czech origin, is one of the most significant representatives of the painting school in Munich from the late 19th century. He was born in the family of Josef Calasanzy Max who, together with his brother Emanuel, was an important sculptor in Prague. Max studied painting at the academies in Prague, Vienna and Munich. He settled in the Bavarian capital for good, however he never lost contact with the Czech milieu. As his work was admired and collected in Bohemia he showed regularly in Prague in the private gallery of Nicolas Lehmann and at the exhibitions of Krasoumná jednota. He became famous for his concept of a spirited female beauty, innovative religious painting, his interest in spiritism and Darwinism as well as for his images of monkeys. His painting is characterized by a smooth and dark tonality which recalled the work of the Old Masters, with an emphasis on the psychological aestheticism of the depicted figures. Max’s influence can be traced in the work of many renowned artists: in Bohemia these include Jakub Schikaneder, Maxmilian Pirner, Emanuel Krescenc Liška, Hanuš Knöchl, Karel Vítězslav Mašek and others. This book is the most extensive monograph of the artist, it contains unique documentation collected from around the world with materials from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Pinacoteca in Munich and many other private lenders. The work of an international group of scholars provides an essential research contribution in the recognition of the importance of the painter but also on the Czech-German relations at the time and the history of the 19th century in general.

The book has a German summary.