Films
Theater of Dislocation
Contemporary painters Dana Schutz, Henry Taylor and Zeng Fanzhi reflect on the art of Max Beckmann
Max Beckmann (1884 – 1950) was one of modern art’s most singular painters. Shaped by a life lived between two world wars, the German artist developed a highly distinctive visual language that captured the psychological tensions and uncertainties of modern life. From intimate self-portraits, portraits and landscapes to canvases filled with performers, masks and crowded interiors, his paintings unfold like scenes from an unfinished play—revealing a world in which truth and illusion are never easily separated.
On the occasion of a solo exhibition dedicated to Beckmann at Hauser & Wirth’s Basel gallery, this new film from Ursula brings together artists Dana Schutz, Henry Taylor and Zeng Fanzhi to speak about Beckmann's enduring impact. Through their perspectives, the film explores the theatricality, humanity and unsettling immediacy that continue to make Beckmann’s work feel profoundly contemporary.
“Often in Max Beckmann's paintings it feels as if the curtain has just gone up and you’re seeing the behind-the-scenes—everything is in a state of in-between, or something is not quite meant to be revealed—and only a second later the curtain might go down and you're like, ‘Is that really what I saw?’”—Dana Schutz
Max Beckmann, Selbstbildnis auf Grün mit grünem Hemd (Self-Portrait on Green with Green Shirt), 1938 © Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig. Photo: Gina Folly
Max Beckmann, Variété (Variety Show), 1927. Photo: Gina Folly
“It’s about showing the idea that hides behind so-called reality. Meaning, to depict the truth behind the subject and to capture that in the work.”—Zeng Fanzhi
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“Max Beckmann” is on view at Hauser & Wirth Basel through 11 July 2026.