Ernst invented frottage because he was staring at a wooden floor. He was in a hotel room in 1925[7], looking at the grain of the floorboards, and saw figures and landscapes in the patterns. He placed paper over the surface and rubbed it with graphite. The textures that emerged, wood grain transformed into forests, oceans, and strange organic forms, became the basis of his painting technique for the next decade.
Key facts
Biography
He was born in Brühl, near Cologne, and studied philosophy and art history at the University of Bonn. He had no formal art training. He saw a Picasso exhibition, joined the Rhineland Expressionists, served in the German army during the First World War (artillery), and emerged with what he described as a compulsion to find something beyond rational thought. Dada[7] gave him the method. Surrealism gave him the framework.
His collage novels, made from cut-up Victorian engravings reassembled into dreamlike narratives, are among the most original works of the twentieth century. Une Semaine de Bonte (A Week of Kindness, 1934[7]) is a series of 182 collages arranged in five chapters, each associated with an element and a day of the week. The imagery is violent, erotic, and funny. The source material, melodramatic Victorian illustrations, is treated with deadpan seriousness.
He married four times. His second wife was Peggy Guggenheim (briefly). His fourth was the painter Dorothea Tanning. He moved to America during the war, lived in Sedona, Arizona, and then returned to France. He died in Paris in 1976[7], the night before his eighty-fifth birthday.
Timeline
- 1891Born in Bruhl, south of Cologne, the third of nine children.
- 1922At 31, entered France illegally, settling with Paul Eluard and his wife Gala in Paris.
- 1925At 34, invented frottage in Paris, a graphic technique using pencil rubbings of textured objects.
- 1941At 50, fled occupied France to the United States with Peggy Guggenheim, whom he married that year.
- 1954At 63, won the Grand Prize for Painting at the Venice Biennale.
- 1976Died aged 84 on 1 April in Paris.
Notable Works
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Where to See Max Ernst
17 museums worldwide.
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
How did max ernst die?
Max Ernst died in 1976[7] at the age of 85.Is max ernst an artist?
Yes, Max Ernst was an artist. He abandoned his philosophy studies to concentrate on art.Is max ernst a surrealist?
Max Ernst was a Surrealist. Surrealism[7] provided the framework for his art.Max ernst art movement?
Max Ernst joined the Rheinische Expressionisten group in Bonn. This occurred after he became friends with August Macke.Was max ernst a dadaist?
Max Ernst was a Dadaist. At the end of the war, he channelled his creative energy into Dada[7].Was max ernst married to peggy guggenheim?
Max Ernst was married to Peggy Guggenheim. She became his third wife after assisting him in escaping to the United States.What is max ernst known for?
Max Ernst is known for employing ambiguous titles in his art. He tried to jolt the viewer to mental attention with labels like "The Preparation of Glue from Bones."Where can i see max ernst paintings?
Max Ernst's works can be seen at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Sprengel Museum[4], and 2 other museums worldwide.Who was max ernst married to?
Max Ernst married four times. His fourth wife was the painter Dorothea Tanning.Why is max ernst famous?
Max Ernst is known for his inventive approach to art. He represents the will to invent in the twentieth century.Max ernst best paintings?
Two of Max Ernst's paintings are Elephant of the Celebes (1921[7]) and Apres nous la maternite (1927).
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Max Ernst.
- [1] museum Buffalo AKG Art Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Städel Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum National Galleries Scotland Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Sprengel Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Unterlinden Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Musée Cantini Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] wikipedia Wikipedia: Max Ernst Used for: biography, birth dates, death dates, identifiers, movement attribution, nationality.
- [8] book guggenheim-guhe00solo Used for: biography.
- [9] book guggenheim-handboo00pegg Used for: biography.
- [10] book guggenheim-maxer00erns Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-24. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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