The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

July 20, 2014

July 20, 1847

Max Liebermann (July 20, 1847 to February 8, 1935) was a German impressionist painter whose wealthy Jewish background (his father was a textile manufacturer) allowed him to pursue his artistic genius. From a biography found at the current web site, built around the villa he constructed at Lake Wannsee, in 1910,  we learn that in 1889 Liebermann

participated in the Exposition Universelle in Paris, marking the 100th anniversary of the FrenchRevolution. For political reasons, the Prussian government forbade him from accepting a knighthood from the French Legion of Honour.

Here is an example of his work when he liked most to paint scenes from the lower classes. This theme ended about 1900 and so the painting probably dates to before then. "Girl Sewing with Cat," is a Dutch scene. He loved Holland and visited there 
every summer from 1874 to 1914 .



Girl Sewing with Cat - Dutch Interior


In 1897 Max Liebermann was appointed professor at the Royal Academy of Arts at Berlin. From 1920 to 1932 he was President of the Prussian Academy of Arts at Berlin. In 1933 he resigned as honorary president of that Academy upon the fine art department’s decision to stop exhibiting pictures from Jewish artists. Max Liebermann died at the family home in Berlin in 1935.

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