Selbstbildnis im Malkittel, sitzend nach rechts

Until his death in 1935, Max Liebermann completed a total of almost 70 self-portraits. What is remarkable about this series of works is when they were painted. With the exception of two early works from 1866 and 1873, Liebermann began his self-portraits in 1902, when he was already 55 years old. At this point in time the Berlin artist, one of the most important representatives of German Impressionism, was able to look back on a successful career and was both artistically and socially established.

The »Self-Portrait in Painter’s Smock« depicts the 71-year-old with disarming candor. The pale smock points to the artist, while the dark suit attests to the successful citizen. Here, Liebermann dispenses completely with the distinguished pose he adopted in other self-portraits. The focus is on the human individual: the light falling from above emphasizes a haggard and exhausted face, its tired and melancholy features set in deep shadows. Liebermann captures the aging process, but also his unbroken piercing gaze—and thus the artist’s keen powers of observation.