Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 22 minutes ago
Art at the LBI: Max Liebermann
Born into a prosperous Jewish family in Berlin, Max Liebermann (1847–1935) abandoned a conventional career in business to pursue his passion for painting. His decision would help transform the German art world.
Inspired by French Impressionism while remaining deeply rooted in German artistic traditions, Liebermann developed a distinctive style that celebrated everyday life. Whether depicting laborers, gardens, or bustling streets, his paintings and prints captured ordinary moments with sensitivity to light, movement, and atmosphere. As a founder and longtime president of the Berlin Secession, he championed modern art at a time when Impressionism was still fiercely contested in Germany.
In addition to his celebrated landscapes and scenes of everyday life, Liebermann was one of Germany's most sought-after portrait painters. He received commissions from leading figures in politics, science, business, and culture, capturing not only their likenesses but also the character and confidence of a rapidly changing society. His portraits combined the immediacy of Impressionism with psychological depth, making them some of the defining images of Germany's cultural elite in the early twentieth century.
Liebermann's career flourished for decades, but the rise of National Socialism brought a devastating reversal. As a Jewish artist, he was forced to resign as president of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1933, and his works were removed from museums and public collections. He died in Berlin in 1935.
Today, the Leo Baeck Institute preserves one of the most significant collections of Liebermann material outside Germany. Alongside six paintings, numerous prints and drawings, the Institute also holds correspondence, exhibition reviews, newspaper articles, artist portfolios, and books illustrated by Liebermann, offering a rich record of both his artistic legacy and his place in German-Jewish history.
🖼️ Max Liebermann, from the Leo Baeck Institute Art & Objects Collection and Archives.
#ArtAtTheLBI #MaxLiebermann #GermanImpressionism #JewishArt #BerlinSecession #LeoBaeckInstitute #ArtHistory
🖼️ Self-portrait from 1913, LBI Art & Objects Collection, 80.123.
🖼️ "Dutch Seaside Resort", LBI Art & Objects Collection, 80.126.
🖼️ Portrait (1925) of Heinrich Stahl (1868-1942), who was an insurance executive and played an important role as the chairman of the Berlin Jewish community during the Third Reich. He was deported and perished in Theresienstadt. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 77.48.
🖼️ Albert Dzialoszynski, who was appointed as the Kommerzienrat (Counselor of Commerce) by Emperor Wilhelm II. Dated, 1914. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 77.45.
🖼️ "Girl, Woman and Dog" from around 1916, Liebermann depicts his granddaughter with her governess sitting in his garden at his home on the Wannsee. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 78.280.
🖼️ "Coaches in the Park" from between 1890-1899, depicts horse-drawn carriages in a park. The sky sheds light on the women on the path. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 78.58.
🖼️ "Children's Soup Kitchen" from 1915, LBI Art & Objects Collection, 78.1374.
Art at the LBI: Max Liebermann
Born into a prosperous Jewish family in Berlin, Max Liebermann (1847–1935) abandoned a conventional career in business to pursue his passion for painting. His decision would help transform the German art world.
Inspired by French Impressionism while remaining deeply rooted in German artistic traditions, Liebermann developed a distinctive style that celebrated everyday life. Whether depicting laborers, gardens, or bustling streets, his paintings and prints captured ordinary moments with sensitivity to light, movement, and atmosphere. As a founder and longtime president of the Berlin Secession, he championed modern art at a time when Impressionism was still fiercely contested in Germany.
In addition to his celebrated landscapes and scenes of everyday life, Liebermann was one of Germany's most sought-after portrait painters. He received commissions from leading figures in politics, science, business, and culture, capturing not only their likenesses but also the character and confidence of a rapidly changing society. His portraits combined the immediacy of Impressionism with psychological depth, making them some of the defining images of Germany's cultural elite in the early twentieth century.
Liebermann's career flourished for decades, but the rise of National Socialism brought a devastating reversal. As a Jewish artist, he was forced to resign as president of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1933, and his works were removed from museums and public collections. He died in Berlin in 1935.
Today, the Leo Baeck Institute preserves one of the most significant collections of Liebermann material outside Germany. Alongside six paintings, numerous prints and drawings, the Institute also holds correspondence, exhibition reviews, newspaper articles, artist portfolios, and books illustrated by Liebermann, offering a rich record of both his artistic legacy and his place in German-Jewish history.
🖼️ Max Liebermann, from the Leo Baeck Institute Art & Objects Collection and Archives.
#ArtAtTheLBI #MaxLiebermann #GermanImpressionism #JewishArt #BerlinSecession #LeoBaeckInstitute #ArtHistory
🖼️ Self-portrait from 1913, LBI Art & Objects Collection, 80.123.
🖼️ "Dutch Seaside Resort", LBI Art & Objects Collection, 80.126.
🖼️ Portrait (1925) of Heinrich Stahl (1868-1942), who was an insurance executive and played an important role as the chairman of the Berlin Jewish community during the Third Reich. He was deported and perished in Theresienstadt. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 77.48.
🖼️ Albert Dzialoszynski, who was appointed as the Kommerzienrat (Counselor of Commerce) by Emperor Wilhelm II. Dated, 1914. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 77.45.
🖼️ "Girl, Woman and Dog" from around 1916, Liebermann depicts his granddaughter with her governess sitting in his garden at his home on the Wannsee. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 78.280.
🖼️ "Coaches in the Park" from between 1890-1899, depicts horse-drawn carriages in a park. The sky sheds light on the women on the path. LBI Art & Objects Collection, 78.58.
🖼️ "Children's Soup Kitchen" from 1915, LBI Art & Objects Collection, 78.1374.
