Max Liebermann (1847-1935), the leading artist in Germany from the early 1890s until the Nazi takeover in 1933, was known later in his career for his singular approach to Impressionism. Initially a realist painter, his work at times moved into the more abstract realm of "pure painting," which earned him the moniker, "Manet of the Germans."

Liebermann, a self-assured cultural leader and the descendent of a successful German-Jewish family, was a celebrity in his own day. He was president of the Berlin Secession from 1898 until 1910 and, during the Weimar Republic served as president of the Prussian Academy of Art from 1920 until 1932.

This first English-language publication on Liebermann looks beyond the factual details of his life and work to explore the virtuosity of his art and the personal attributes on which it oftentimes was based. Essays by German and American scholars provide creative new ways of understanding and interpreting Max Liebermann and the times in which he lived.