Max Hermann Maxy

description

Outstanding Romanian artist of German-Jewish origin, talented stage designer and one of the leading representatives of the Avant-garde movement in his country. The artist worked in the styles of Cubism, Expressionism, Constructivism and Modernism. He was the founder and editor of several periodicals. Max Hermann Maxy ran a school that he founded for those expelled from the official Academy Jewish artists, as well as a Jewish theater. In the 1920s, when the wave of artistic innovations began in Romania, Maximilian Hermann was at the forefront of the rebellion against a society that had deprived them of the right to full citizenship. He investigated the newest styles of art, joined provocative modern movements, organized the work of new educational institutions and the publication of journals. After the war, the painter was appointed the director of the Romanian Museum of Art and professor of the Institute of Fine Arts named after Nikolai Grigorescu. He made a great contribution to the formation and development of Romania’s culture.

Key ideas:

– In the early period of his career, Maximilian was mainly interested in themes from the war, in which he took part. Emotional works of the late 1910s were written in a manner close to Realism, even Naturalism.

– Having interpreted the theory of Cubism as corresponding to his ideas, Maxi boldly, and at times brutally experimented with shapes, splitting objects in an image and collecting the pieces into a whole, similar to a mosaic. In some canvases, entirely filled with geometric fragments that flow into each other, the viewer begins to see the vision conceived by the artist only after reading the title.

– Having joined the November group in Berlin (a German cultural organization oriented toward socialist ideals), the artist also did narrative pictures.

– A certain period in his practice was dominated by Constructivism. At the same time, Maxi worked in the style of moderate Modernism, using a thin, flexible line as well as elegantly selected colors and ornaments.
Maxi created a number of remarkable portraits of people with whom he communicated. As a portraitist, he was emotional and accurate in conveying the basic features of the model, although many portraits are created in the Cubist and Expressionist styles. He always drew “appearance” in an unusual way. For example, while half of a given face was bright green, the other one might be red or purple. These were portraits based on an objective, emotional or stylistic idea.

+ Read more

1895

1913

1918

1922

1924

1926

1929

1939

1949

1971

The birth of the artist

The artist was born on the 26th of October in 1895 in Brăila, Romania.

Began to study at The School of Fine Arts

Began to study at The School of Fine Arts. His teacher was painter Camil Ressu. A year later, he participated in the First World War, which significantly influenced his painting. The subject of his early works was often military.

Organized an exhibition in the city of Iasi with other artists

Organized an exhibition in the city of Iasi with other artists. He presented paintings depicting war scenes. It was in this year that he began using the pseudonym Maxi. Many of those paintings were also presented at a personal exhibition in 1920 in Bucharest and on the opening day of the Romanian Art Union a year later.

Began to study in Berlin

Began to study in Berlin with Arthur Segal, and became a member of the famous “November Group” (Germany) and participated in shows along with Paul Klee and Louis Marcussi at the Berlin gallery “Der Sturm” (“Sturm”).

He founded an independent Academy of Arts

Took part in the prestigious International exhibition of the group “Contimporanul” together with Brancusi, Klee, Arp, Sigal, and others. In the same year, he founded an independent Academy of Arts, which was based on the principle of the famous German art and industrial school Bauhaus with its desire for unity of style among all kinds of art.

Started working as a set designer in Paris

Started working as a set designer in Paris. He created scenery and costumes, focusing on the work of Bakst and other Russian stage designers. Two years later, the Academy founded by the artist became the Studio of Decorative Art, in which the style of Art Deco was promoted. Maxi began publishing the Avant-garde magazine “Integral”.

The artist was awarded a Gold Medal for his decorative arts

The artist was awarded a Gold Medal for his decorative arts at the International Exhibition in Barcelona. In the next decade, he held several solo exhibitions in Bucharest.

He began working as a stage designer for the Jewish theater Baracheum in Bucharest

He began working as a stage designer for the Jewish theater Baracheum in Bucharest. Two years later, he became the director of this theatre and a teacher in the Jewish school of fine arts. After the war, he organized the exhibition “Work and art”, where works of students were exhibited along with paintings from famous artists.

The artist was appointed director of the Romanian National Art Museum and professor of the Institute of Fine Arts

The artist was appointed director of the Romanian National Art Museum and professor of the Institute of Fine Arts named after Nikolai Grigorescu, where he worked until the mid-1950s. In the 1950s, the artist began working in the style of moderate Modernism. He mostly did drawings for books, including illustrations for the works of Sasa Panah and Hilary Vorontsa. The artist created a gallery of portraits containing colleagues from his generation. He published his works in the magazines “Integral”, “Contimporanul” and “75 HP”. Apart from that, he participated in the preparation of the monthly “Ivory” publications, covering events in Jewish culture.