Among the many highlights of The Cindy and Jay Pritzker Collection are two extraordinary works of German Expressionism — Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Hallesches Tor, Berlin and Max Beckmann’s Der Wels (The Catfish). Together, they trace the evolution of modern German painting — from the restless energy of pre-war Berlin to the psychological depth and allegorical intensity of the interwar years.
Kirchner’s Hallesches Tor, Berlin (1913) captures the rhythm and alienation of the modern metropolis. Its tilting architecture, vibrating color, and dynamic composition embody what Kirchner called “the new beauty of the modern city.” On the reverse, Two Bathers on the Beach offers a tranquil contrast — city and shore, chaos and calm.
Beckmann’s Der Wels (The Catfish) (1929) reflects a new era of introspection. Painted in Paris, it fuses modernism with art-historical gravitas — a symbolic drama where figures, form, and color converge to express vitality and transformation.
Seen together, these masterpieces illuminate the arc of German Expressionism and the visionary spirit of The Cindy and Jay Pritzker Collection.
