Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

One of the most important German artists of the twentieth century, Max Beckmann was an insightful portraitist, instilling his subjects with psychological depth. Fleeing Nazi Germany in 1937, Beckmann settled in Amsterdam, and in 1947 immigrated to the United States, where he had accepted a position at Washington University in St. Louis. During his three years in the United States, Beckmann painted portraits of his many new American friends and patrons. Henry Hope, chair of Indiana University’s fine arts department, commissioned this portrait in 1950. The painting, depicting Henry and Sally Hope and their six children, was based on sketches Beckmann completed during a three-day visit to Bloomington in April 1950.