Famous impressionist painter Max Liebermann dies

Born in Berlin in 1847, Max Liebermann was the son of a Jewish entrepreneur. After training as a painter in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy, Liebermann attained international acclaim but was often subject to anti-Semitic criticism in his homeland. Accepted into the conservative Prussian Academy of Arts, Liebermann also served as President of the Berliner Secession, a group of modern artists. Liebermann owned a house on Pariser Platz next to the Brandenburg Gate and acquired a villa on Wannsee in 1910. Appointed President of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1920, Liebermann celebrated his 80th birthday with a major exhibition in 1927, even though his works by now seemed old-fashioned.

Watching the SA parade through the Brandenburg Gate from his Berlin residence on 30 January 1933, Max Liebermann is said to have slipped into Berlin dialect to utter the now famous words: “I can’t eat as much as I want to puke.” The internationally renowned and much honoured artist resigned from all his offices and withdrew from public life. Liebermann died in Berlin on 8 February 1935.