Max Neumann (b. 1949) turns the human figure into an abstract symbol, reducing his compositions to their pure essence. His faceless heads and bodies constitute a leitmotif of the artist’s work, a subject that carries tremendous weight despite their spare detail and placement in a rootless space. He draws from memory – dreamlike fragmented recollections reduced to the outline, shape and shadows of the originals. Neumann has constructed a visual vocabulary born from innumerable sources, including picture magazines, newspapers, and other media. He works primarily with black, but splashes of color sometimes make their appearance into his paintings and drawings, suggesting a deeper meaning. The artist leaves the viewer to fill in the gaps and construct imaginary narratives, as his compositions exist outside of time and space. With their bareness, Neumann’s paintings possess an emotive power that is remarkably real, yet entirely inferred.
Born in 1949 in Saarbruck, Germany, Neumann studied art in Kalsruhe and later at the University of Fine Arts in Berlin. He has been the recipient of many awards including the BDI (Germany Industry Federation), the Villa Romana Award, the Dr. Dietrich Schluz Foundation Award, the Award of the City of Iserlohn, and the Grand Prix de S.A.S. le Prince Rainer III of Monaco. Neumann’s 2012 exhibition at Bruce Silverstein marked his first solo show in New York.
Since the late 1970s the artist has had more than 150 solo exhibitions internationally. Among them are The Museum Folkwang, Essen; Saarlandmuseum Saarbruck; the Centre d’Art Plastiques, Royan; Espace d’Art Contemporain André Malraux, Colmar; Gallery Vidal-Saint Phalle, Paris; Gallery Stefan Röpke, Cologne; Gallery Pascal Polar, Brussels; Mimmo Scognamiglio Arte Contemporanea, Milan; Galería Arnés y Röpke, Madrid; Gallery Georg Nothelfer, Berlin and Satani Gallery, Tokyo.
His works are in numerous public and private collections such as the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin; The Museum Folkwag, Essen; Museo de Bellas Artes, Oviedo; Hamburger Kunsthalle; Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence; and the Seibu Museum, Tokyo. Max Neumann lives and works in Berlin.
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Max NeumannUntitled, August 24, 1992Mixed-media on canvas94 1/2 x 59 in (240 x 150 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, June, 1993Glue tempera and oil collage82 5/8 x 118 1/8 in (210 x 300 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, July, 1999Mixed-media on canvas63 x 47 1/4 in (160 x 120 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, October, 2005Oil and acrylic on nettle canvas78 5/8 x 59 in (200 x 150 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, May, 2007Mixed-media collage with oil, acrylic, and paper on wood15 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 2 3/8 in (40 x 29.8 x 6 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, July, 2008Oil on canvas63 x 47 1/4 in (160 x 120 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, December 15, 2010, 2010Oil paint on photograph11 x 7 1/2 in.
27.8 x 19.0 x 0.0 cm -
Max NeumannUntitled, November 22, 2010, 2010Oil paint on photograph11 x 8 in.
27.94 x 20.32 x 0.0 cm -
Max NeumannApril, 2011Oil and acrylic on canvas62 3/8 x 47 1/16 in.
160.0 x 120.0 x 0.0 cm -
Max NeumannUntitled, October 19, 2011Oil on photograph8 3/8 x 6 1/4 in (21.3 x 15.9 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, October 28, 2011Mixed media on paper and canvas19 1/4 x 19 1/4 in (50 x 50 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, March, 2012Acrylic on canvas51 1/16 x 51 1/16 in (129.7 x 129.7 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, July, 2013Oil and acrylic on canvas95 3/4 x 61 in (243.2 x 154.9 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, June, 2013Oil on canvas25 1/4 x 17 3/8 in (64.1 x 44.1 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, November, 2013Oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas78 5/8 x 59 in (199.7 x 149.9 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, August, 2014Oil and acrylic on canvas39 5/16 x 31 7/16 in (99.8 x 79.8 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, July, 2014Oil and acrylic on canvas62 15/16 x 47 3/16 in (160 x 120 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, 2016-2017Oil and acrylic on canvas82 7/8 x 50 7/8 in (210.5 x 129.2 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, June, 2018Oil on canvas23 3/4 x 19 3/4 in (60.3 x 50.2 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, June, 2018Oil and acrylic on canvas15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in (40 x 29.8 cm)
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Max NeumannUntitled, May, 2018Oil on wood15 5/8 x 15 5/8 in (40 x 40 cm)
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20th Anniversary Exhibition
REWIND 16 Dec 2021 - 19 Feb 2022 Gallery ExhibitionsBruce Silverstein Gallery is pleased to announce REWIND, a celebration of our 20th anniversary. Featuring works selected from over one hundred exhibitions, REWIND is an opportunity to revisit the gallery's...Read more -
Max Neumann
Specter 15 Nov 2018 - 5 Jan 2019 Gallery ExhibitionsBruce Silverstein Gallery is pleased to announce its third solo exhibition of new works by Berlin-based artist Max Neumann. This special presentation, entitled Specter, will include a suite of both...Read more -
Max Neumann
New Work 8 Jan - 21 Feb 2015 Gallery ExhibitionsBruce Silverstein is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Max Neumann. Featuring large-scale paintings on canvas as well as a single over-painted photograph, this exhibition is the...Read more -
Max Neumann
12 Oct - 22 Dec 2012 Gallery ExhibitionsBruce Silverstein is pleased to present the gallery’s first show of the German artist Max Neumann.Read more
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The Photography Show Presented by AIPAD
415 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016 31 Mar - 2 Apr 2023From March 31 - April 2, 2023, Bruce Silverstein Gallery will be exhibiting at The Photography Show presented by AIPAD in Booth # 108; showcasing...Read more -
The Armory Show
7 - 10 Mar 2019Bruce Silverstein is delighted to return to The Armory Show for the landmark art fair’s 25th Anniversary edition. Exemplifying the gallery’s commitment to presenting important...Read more -
The Armory Show
2 - 5 Mar 2017Featured Artists: Constantin Brâncuși, Bill Brandt, Eric Fischl, Mishka Henner, Todd Hido, André Kertész, Alfred Leslie, René Magritte, Shinichi Maruyama. Lisette Model. Max Neumann. Cindy...Read more -
The Armory Show
3 - 6 Mar 2016Featured Artists: Irving Penn, Henry Moore, Frederick Sommer, Constantin Brancusi, Shinichi Maruyama, Max Neumann, Eileen Neff, Aaron Siskind, Mishka Henner, André Kertész, Ed Ruscha, Larry...Read more