The Harbor of Genoa
- Artist
- Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950
- Date
- 1927
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Frankfurt am Main, Hessen state, Germany, Europe
- depicts
- Genoa, Liguria region, Italy, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 35 1/2 x 66 5/8 in. (90.2 x 169.2 cm)
framed: 43 1/8 x 74 1/4 x 1 1/2 in. (109.5 x 188.6 x 3.8 cm) - Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 843:1983
NOTES
Max Beckmann’s atmospheric moonlit scene is a memory of the busy Italian port of Genoa which he had recently visited in 1926. Boats sit at rest in the harbor while two yellow trains puff into a station at bottom left. Beckmann’s image combines views of near and far. His viewpoint is from his balcony ledge, which supports a vase of flowers, a stringed instrument, and chair draped with a jacket. The work reflects Beckmann’s ongoing interest in urban, industrial scenes.
Provenance
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Frankfurt am Main, Germany [1]
1927 - still in 1949
Käthe Rapoport von Porada (1891-1985), Frankfurt am Main, Germany; later Paris, France; Venice, Italy [2]
- 1952
Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. (formerly Buchholz Gallery), New York, NY, USA [3]
1952 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's Frankfurt List. Beckmann notes that he began work on the canvas on January 4, 1927 and completed it on July 5, 1927. [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976, cat. no. 269].
[2] Käthe Rapoport von Porada was a close friend and supporter of Beckmann. She is listed as owner of the painting on Beckmann's picture list and in several early exhibition catalogues ["Max Beckmann, Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Berlin." Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, 1928, cat 46; "Fünfzigste Ausstellung Max Beckmann: Gemälde aus den Jahren 1920-1928." Munich: Graphisches Kabinett Leitung, 1928, cat. 13; "Max Beckmann: Kunsthalle Basel." Kunsthalle Basel, 1930, cat. 63].
The 1949 catalogue raisonné lists the painting as in the collection of Frau von Porado (sic) [Reifenberg, Benno, and Wilhelm Hausenstein. "Max Beckmann." Munich: R. Piper & Co., 1949, cat. 239].
[3] In a letter from Käthe von Porada to Curt Valentin dated February 26, 1952, von Porada describes a hole in the "Harbor of Genoa" and how it was repaired by the artist [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. This letter suggests that Valentin acquired the painting directly from von Porada.
[4] Per invoice from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. to Morton D. May dated September 23, 1952 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
1927 - still in 1949
Käthe Rapoport von Porada (1891-1985), Frankfurt am Main, Germany; later Paris, France; Venice, Italy [2]
- 1952
Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. (formerly Buchholz Gallery), New York, NY, USA [3]
1952 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's Frankfurt List. Beckmann notes that he began work on the canvas on January 4, 1927 and completed it on July 5, 1927. [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976, cat. no. 269].
[2] Käthe Rapoport von Porada was a close friend and supporter of Beckmann. She is listed as owner of the painting on Beckmann's picture list and in several early exhibition catalogues ["Max Beckmann, Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Berlin." Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, 1928, cat 46; "Fünfzigste Ausstellung Max Beckmann: Gemälde aus den Jahren 1920-1928." Munich: Graphisches Kabinett Leitung, 1928, cat. 13; "Max Beckmann: Kunsthalle Basel." Kunsthalle Basel, 1930, cat. 63].
The 1949 catalogue raisonné lists the painting as in the collection of Frau von Porado (sic) [Reifenberg, Benno, and Wilhelm Hausenstein. "Max Beckmann." Munich: R. Piper & Co., 1949, cat. 239].
[3] In a letter from Käthe von Porada to Curt Valentin dated February 26, 1952, von Porada describes a hole in the "Harbor of Genoa" and how it was repaired by the artist [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. This letter suggests that Valentin acquired the painting directly from von Porada.
[4] Per invoice from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. to Morton D. May dated September 23, 1952 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.