COLOGNE.- Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth and Max Slevogt: three names that are representative of German impressionism. Three artists whose creative works captivate a broad public. Three masters who are united by one great passion: landscape painting. It is to this passion that the Wallraf is devoting its very own special exhibition in summer 2010. Under the title “Liebermann, Corinth, Slevogt – The Landscapes” the museum shall be exhibiting around 90 works of these three German impressionists. Most of the loans will come from internationally renowned institutions such as National Gallery in Berlin, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt and the Belvedere in Vienna. The exhibition will demonstrate how the “triumvirate of German impressionism”, free from commissions and constraints of all kinds, developed its creativity best of all in landscape painting. With great dedication and without falling into routine the artists threw themselves into this, for them untypical, genre. Thus the landscapes are surely also amongst the highlights of their respective œuvres.

Liebermann, Corinth and Slevogt painted their landscapes whenever good opportunities presented themselves, on their travels or on holiday. Max Slevogt found his motifs in the Palatinate, on Capri and in Egypt. Lovis Corinth was motivated to pick up the brush by his summer resort in Tyrol and later by Lake Walchen. Max Liebermann, finally, preferred at first to paint landscapes in Holland and later in his own garden on the Wannsee in Berlin. The exhibition’s focused look at the landscape paintings highlights the individual development of the three painters on their way to becoming great artists. In addition the show will be a representative depiction of significant positions in German landscape painting before and after 1900.

The exhibition was designed in co-operation with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where it can be seen from 12 September – 5 December 2010 afterafter leaving Cologne.