Max Beckmann, German painter, draftsman, printmaker and sculptor, 1884-1950

Although Beckmann is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the movement. In the 1920s, he was associated with the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), an outgrowth of Expressionism that opposed its introverted emotionalism. He is known for the self-portraits painted throughout his life, their number and intensity rivaled only by those of Rembrandt and Picasso. Today, his large paintings routinely sell for more than $1 million, and his self-portraits generally command the highest prices.