Beckmann, Max. GESELLSCHAFT (SOCIETY). Gallwitz 63B, Hofmeier 86iiiB. Drypoint, 1915. The second state, after the addition of the fish on the platter at the lower left, published in an edition of about 30 (there was an edition of 50 in the first state). 10 1/4 x 12 5/8 inches, 260 x 320 mm. (plate); 12 3/8 x 17 3/4 inches (sheet). Printed on wove paper with the watermark of Van Gelder Zonen. In excellent condition. The scene is a party at the home of Ugi and Friedel Battenberg. Ugi Battenberg had been Beckmann's fellow student in art school. Beckmann served in the German army as a medical orderly, but had a breakdown in 1915, and was released from service. The Battenbergs took him in to live with them in their home in Frankfurt and provided him with a studio. In this period, and especially in the year following, Beckmann's style underwent a radical change, influenced by his wartime experiences: from being a leading practitioner of Impressionism he became one of the foremost of the German Expressionists.
