Artwork

Arno Holz Mappe: Portrait Arno Holz

Arno Holz Mappe:  Portrait Arno Holz, by Max Liebermann, 1923
Arno Holz Mappe:  Portrait Arno Holz, by Max Liebermann, 1923

Arno Holz Mappe: Portrait Arno Holz is a print by Max Liebermann. It dates from 1923 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Max Liebermann’s 1923 print, titled *Arno Holz Mappe: Portrait Arno Holz*, depicts the writer Arno Holz in a straightforward, half‑length format. The work is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art and exemplifies Liebermann’s late‑career focus on portraiture rendered with a sketch‑like immediacy.

Subject & Meaning

The sitter, Arno Holz, appears with a serious expression, spectacles, and a dark suit, suggesting a scholarly or literary persona. The plain background isolates the figure, directing attention to Holz’s face and the intellectual demeanor conveyed through his gaze and posture.

Technique & Style

Liebermann employed rapid, loose lines characteristic of a study rather than a finished, highly finished portrait. The drawing’s economy of detail—minimal shading, simple contouring, and a stark, unadorned backdrop—creates a sense of immediacy and captures the essence of the subject with a restrained hand.

History & Provenance

Created in 1923, the print reflects Liebermann’s mature period after decades of work in German Impressionism. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains accessible to the public as part of the museum’s holdings of early‑20th‑century German prints.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Max Liebermann

Artist

Max Liebermann

Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.