August Macke

Key facts

Lived

1887–1914, German

Movement

• Expressionism

Works held in

33 museums^[1]

• Elisabeth at the desk

  Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History

  Münster, Germany

  52 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Gartentor

  Lenbachhaus

  Munich, Germany

  18 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Colored Composition of Forms

  Albertina

  Palais Erzherzog Albrecht, Austria

  5 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Farewell

  Museum Ludwig

  Gebäudekomplex der Kölner Philharmonie und des Museum Ludwig, Germany

  9 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Little Walter’s Toys

  Städel Museum

  Frankfurt, Germany

  3 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Woman on a Divan

  Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

  Palace of Villahermosa, Spain

  3 works

  

  Museum detailsMap

Plan your visit to see August Macke →

• What is August Macke's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to identify one single "most famous" work by August Macke, as fame is subjective. However, "Girls Amongst Trees" (1914) is a major painting from his mature period. Macke moved to Hilterfingen, on Lake Thun, in November 1913. The motif of the shore suggests that he started "Girls Amongst Trees" there, before travelling to Tunisia with Louis Moilliet and Paul Klee. The artistic basis for the Tunisian experience was already provided by Robert Delaunay’s Orphism, with its fragmentation of forms into colour and light. Delaunay’s influence, and the Tunisian journey, are reflected in this painting, which Macke completed in his studio after his return. The girls playing among the trees on the banks of the lake blend into the colour, light and space of their surroundings. The figurative is subordinate to the interplay of light and shadow, and the alternation of tonality. Cool blue creates a sense of tension with warm yellow, red and brown. The choice of colour unites the figures with the environment. The blue of the lake is reiterated and continued in the dresses of the girls, carrying it into the foreground, and countered by the reddish-brown of the tree trunks and dresses. The constant alternation between light and dark, cold and warm, gives an impression of movement, further emphasised by the segment-like composition.
• What should I know about August Macke's prints?+

  August Macke, a painter and watercolourist associated with German Expressionism, was born in 1887 and died in action in 1914. He befriended Franz Marc and Vasily Kandinsky, exhibiting at the Blaue Reiter exhibitions in 1912. Macke moved away from Kandinsky's abstract approach, becoming more interested in Robert Delaunay's use of colour. He applied this to scenes of city life, showing people strolling through parks or window-shopping. Although Macke was a prolific artist, creating thousands of drawings and watercolours, he made very few prints. These include a lithograph from 1905, five linoleum cuts from 1907, and six more linoleum cuts from 1912 to 1913. All of Macke's known prints are in black and white. Two were published in the journal *Der Sturm*, and one was published posthumously by the Bauhaus. Macke also designed carpets, pottery, and glass paintings.
• What style or movement did August Macke belong to?+

  August Macke is associated with several art movements of the early 20th century. He had connections to Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group of expressionist artists founded in Munich in 1911. However, Macke's relationship to expressionism was somewhat complex. While he engaged with the expressionist milieu, his own artistic style remained distinct. Macke's paintings often display a cheerful, colour-oriented approach, influenced by artists like Matisse and Delaunay. This differentiated him from the more emotionally intense expressionism of artists such as Emil Nolde. Macke's work, with its emphasis on representing a pure and orderly world, stands apart from the expressionist focus on subjective experience. In 1913, Macke assisted with the organisation of the Erster Deutscher Herbstsalon (First German Autumn Salon), an exhibition that included expressionist works alongside other avant-garde movements such as Cubism and Futurism.
• What techniques or materials did August Macke use?+

  August Macke was a painter, watercolourist, and decorative artist who experimented with a range of media. Although he is best known for his paintings and watercolours, he also designed carpets, pottery, and glass paintings. Macke created a large number of works on paper; some ten thousand drawings, sketches, and watercolours exist. His prints are rarer, and include a lithograph from 1905 and linoleum cuts made between 1907 and 1913. Some of these linoleum cuts were published in *Der Sturm*, and one was published posthumously by the Bauhaus. Macke was interested in the interplay of colour and light. The experience of his travels to Tunisia with Paul Klee and Louis Moilliet in 1914 influenced his work. He incorporated fractured forms of colour and light into his paintings, such as *Girls Amongst Trees*. He explored the use of colour to unite figures with their surroundings, creating a sense of movement through the alternation of light and dark, cold and warm tones.
• What was August Macke known for?+

  August Macke (1887-1914) was a painter and watercolourist associated with German Expressionism. He is known for his depictions of urban life, often featuring people strolling through parks or window-shopping. Macke befriended Franz Marc and Vasily Kandinsky, and he exhibited at the Blaue Reiter exhibitions in 1912. Although initially involved with the group, he later distanced himself from Kandinsky's abstract approach. Instead, Macke was drawn to Robert Delaunay's use of fractured colour. He applied this to his own work, creating luminous scenes. Macke's travels with Paul Klee and Louis Moilliet to Tunisia in 1914 had a significant impact on his art. He created a series of watercolours there. Macke designed carpets, pottery, and glass paintings. His career was cut short when he was killed in action during the First World War. Despite his short career, Macke created around ten thousand drawings and watercolours. Although he mainly worked with paint, he also made a few prints, including lithographs and linoleum cuts.
• When did august macke die?+

  August Macke died in 1914 at the age of 27.
• When did August Macke live and work?+

  August Macke (1887-1914) was a German Expressionist painter, a member of the short-lived group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), and one of the most important artists of the German avant-garde. Macke was born in Meschede, Westphalia, Germany. He spent most of his creative life in Bonn and near Lake Thun in Switzerland. He travelled extensively, visiting Italy, Paris, the Netherlands, and Tunisia. These journeys exposed him to different artistic currents, which influenced his style. His artistic career was brief but productive. He began his formal art training at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 1907. In 1910, he met Franz Marc and joined Der Blaue Reiter, participating in their exhibitions. Macke's work from this period shows the influence of Robert Delaunay's Orphism, with its emphasis on colour and light. Macke's mature style blended elements of Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism into a distinctive aesthetic. His paintings often depict scenes of everyday life, such as people in parks and shops. These works are characterised by their bright colours and harmonious compositions. His career ended abruptly with his death in action during the First World War in September 1914.
• Where can I see August Macke's work?+

  August Macke's work can be viewed in several European museums. In Germany, these include the Brücke Museum and the Nationalgalerie in Berlin; the Kunsthalle and Sammlung Bottcherstrasse in Bremen; the Ludwig Museum and Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne; the Folkwang Museum in Essen; and the Kunsthalle and Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg. Other German locations are the Niedersachsisches Landesmuseum in Hanover; the Stadtische Kunsthalle in Mannheim; the Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen in Munich; the Stiftung Ada und Emil Nolde in Seebüll; and the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal. Macke's work is also held at the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Outside of Germany, one can find his pieces at the MAK Austrian Museum of Applied Art/Contemporary Art in Vienna, Austria. Additionally, the Guggenheim Museum in New York has exhibited Macke's art.
• Where was August Macke from?+

  August Macke was German. He was born in Meschede, Germany, in 1887. Macke became a painter, watercolourist, and decorative artist. He befriended Franz Marc and Vasily Kandinsky, and he exhibited at both Blaue Reiter exhibitions in 1912. He was included in the group’s almanac of 1912, but distanced himself from Kandinsky’s metaphysical approach to abstraction. Macke was increasingly influenced by Robert Delaunay’s use of fractured rays of colour. He applied this to luminous scenes of elegant urban flâneurs window-shopping and strolling through parks. Macke also designed carpets, and he made pottery and glass paintings. In April 1914, Macke travelled with Paul Klee and Swiss painter Louis Moilliet to Tunisia, where he sketched and made a series of glowing watercolours. He was mobilised during the first week of the war and killed in action seven weeks later. As a fallen veteran, German officers protested the confiscation of his works and his inclusion as a degenerate artist by the Nazis.
• Who did August Macke influence?+

  August Macke's work, though cut short by his early death in the First World War, had an impact on German Expressionism. He befriended Franz Marc and Vasily Kandinsky, exhibiting at both Blaue Reiter shows in 1912. Although he distanced himself from Kandinsky's abstract leanings, Macke's association with the group exposed him to fellow artists. Macke's style incorporated elements from various sources. He was influenced by Robert Delaunay's use of fractured colour, which he applied to scenes of modern life. Macke, along with Paul Klee and Franz Marc, learned from Cubism, largely through Delaunay, how to organise a canvas using interacting planes. This allowed them to suggest movement and depth while maintaining the picture-plane's unity. Macke's interest in artistic synthesis, colour, and line led him to Paris, where he studied Manet, Seurat, and Denis. His designs for the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus production of *Little Red Riding Hood* in 1906, consisting of flattened trees and moving, coloured curtains, demonstrate his early exploration of simplified forms.
• Who influenced August Macke?+

  August Macke was influenced by a number of artists and aesthetic ideas during his short career. Correspondence indicates that he was excited by two paintings by Matisse and a collection of Japanese masks he saw in Hagen in 1910. Macke's early work in stage design also shaped his aesthetic. His designs for a 1906 production of *Little Red Riding Hood* involved flattened, simplified forms and arrangements of colour. This production led him to equate a modern formal vocabulary with formal flattening and nearly abstract arrangements of line and colour. His interest in artistic synthesis, colour, and line led him to the writings of Meier-Graefe and to trips to Paris, where he studied Manet, Seurat, and Denis. Although Macke exhibited at the Blaue Reiter exhibitions in 1912, and was included in their almanac, he distanced himself from Kandinsky’s metaphysical approach to abstraction. He was increasingly influenced by Robert Delaunay’s use of fractured rays of colour, applying it to his luminous scenes.
• Who is august macke?+

  August Macke was a painter, watercolourist, and decorative artist. He befriended Franz Marc and Vasily Kandinsky, and he exhibited at both Blaue Reiter exhibitions in 1912. However, Macke distanced himself from Kandinsky’s metaphysical approach to abstraction, and was instead increasingly influenced by Robert De.