MAX ACKERMANN – Pioneer of abstraction

With the solo exhibition Max Ackermann – Pioneer of Abstraction, DIE GALERIE celebrates the life and work of a German pioneer of non-objective painting on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death. Born in Berlin in 1887 and mainly active in Stuttgart and at Lake Constance, Max Ackermann (1887 – 1975) belongs to the true precursors of German and international abstraction. An avid experimenter and always receptive to new techniques and styles, the artist‘s oeuvre is characterised by a striking and consistent diversity. For a long time, Max Ackermann did not commit himself to a particular style and his art oscillated back and forth between figuration and abstraction, between Verism and New Objectivity, between geometrical forms and colour fields, until he ultimately settled on a non-representational pictorial language in the last years of his life. 

In approximately 70 works, DIE GALERIE is presenting the tremendous versatility of this artistic genius, ranging from highly dynamic compositions, often inspired by music, to extensive colour fields in different shades of blue that convey a sense of calm and quiet harmony. The showcased works by Max Ackermann, painted between 1930 and the mid-1970s, resemble a perfectly tuned symphony of loud and soft tones, casting a spell over every beholder.

Alongside Max Ackermann’s paintings and works on paper, we present a selection of sculptures by our sculptors Riccardo Cordero, Beate Debus, Sonja Edle von Hoeßle, Dietrich Klinge, Herbert Mehler and Igor Mitoraj.