Maurer killed himself weeks after his father died at the age of one hundred. The suicide has been the subject of speculation ever since: whether it was grief, or release from decades of paternal disapproval, or the final consequence of a career that the art world had refused to acknowledge. He hanged himself in the family home in 1932. He was sixty-four.
Key facts
Biography
He was born in New York in 1868, the son of Louis Maurer, a German-born lithographer. At sixteen his father pulled him out of school to work in the family firm. He hated it. After thirteen years he left for Paris, where he painted representational works that won prizes across Europe: a Salmagundi Club prize in 1900, medals at Buffalo, Liege and Munich.
Then, at thirty-six, he abandoned representation entirely. Exposure to the collections of Gertrude and Leo Stein, and to the paintings of Matisse and the Fauves, converted him to modernism. The shift cost him everything: his international reputation, his commercial viability, and any remaining paternal respect. Stieglitz exhibited him at 291 alongside O'Keeffe, Dove and Hartley, but the American market had little interest in bold experiment.
In 1914, the war forced him back to New York, leaving roughly 250 paintings in his Paris studio. His father refused to pay shipping costs. In 1925, his French landlord sold the entire collection for back rent. Art historian Sheldon Reich later observed that had Maurer remained in Europe, he would be discussed alongside Vlaminck and Derain. Instead he became part of what Reich called "that tragic fraternity of artists who during their lifetimes have suffered the tortures of neglect".
Timeline
- 1868Born in New York City; his father Louis Maurer was a successful Currier & Ives illustrator who would oppose his son's modernist ambitions.
- 1897At 29, left New York for Paris, where he would live for nearly two decades and discover Cezanne, Matisse and the Fauves.
- 1901At 33, won first prize at the Carnegie International Exhibition in Pittsburgh for An Arrangement, a Whistler-influenced painting.
- 1909At 41, exhibited alongside John Marin at Alfred Stieglitz's pioneering 291 gallery in New York, a landmark for American modernism.
- 1913At 45, had his first solo exhibition at Folsom Galleries in New York and showed work in the landmark Armory Show.
- 1914At 46, returned to New York at the outbreak of war and moved back into his parents' home, where domestic tensions overshadowed his creative life.
- 1932Died aged 64 in New York by his own hand, two weeks after the death of his 100-year-old father, having received little recognition in his lifetime.
Notable Works
Tap to view larger.
Where to See Alfred Maurer
6 museums worldwide.
-
11 works
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Old Patent Office Building, United States
-
6 works
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C., United States
-
2 works
Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Boston, United States
-
2 works
New Britain Museum of American Art
New Britain, United States
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Alfred Maurer known for?
Alfred Maurer is known for representational works that won prizes across Europe, and later for his bold experiments in modernism. His shift away from representation cost him his international reputation, commercial viability, and his father's respect.Who was Alfred Maurer?
Alfred Maurer was an American modernist painter who died by suicide in 1932. He was the son of lithographer Louis Maurer, and abandoned a successful early career in representational painting to embrace modernism after being exposed to the work of Matisse and the Fauves.What was Alfred Maurer's art style?
Alfred Maurer initially painted representational works, but later shifted to modernism after being exposed to the collections of Gertrude and Leo Stein, and to the paintings of Matisse and the Fauves.When was Alfred Maurer born?
Alfred Maurer was born in 1868 in United States. Alfred Maurer died in 1932, aged 64.How did Alfred Maurer die?
Alfred Maurer died in 1932 at the age of 64.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Alfred Maurer.
- [1] museum New Britain Museum of American Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Museum of Fine Arts Boston Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Corcoran Gallery of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum National Gallery of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Barnes Foundation Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Metropolitan Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] book guggenheim-artoftomorrowfif1939gugg Used for: biography.
- [8] book guggenheim-solomonrguggenhe00gugg Used for: biography.
- [9] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-17. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
Editorial standardsMethodologyCorrectionsAI disclosureAbout the editorial team