August Macke

August Macke (1887–1914) was a German painter whose brief yet prolific career placed him at the forefront of early 20th-century modernism. Born in Meschede, Macke studied at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art before travelling extensively in France, Italy and the Netherlands, encounters that exposed him to Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and the work of the Fauves. Settling in Bonn, he became closely associated with the Blaue Reiter group, alongside artists such as Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky, contributing to their exhibitions and publications in 1911 and 1912.

Macke’s art is distinguished by its luminous colour palette, rhythmic compositions and a harmonious balance between figuration and abstraction. Everyday scenes — families walking in parks, women browsing shop windows, figures at lakesides — are rendered with a serenity that belies the rapid transformations of the age. Influences from Robert Delaunay’s Orphism encouraged his use of fractured planes and prismatic colour, yet Macke retained a lyrical sensibility, favouring clarity and equilibrium over radical dissonance.

In 1914, a trip to Tunisia with Paul Klee and Louis Moilliet deepened his engagement with light and colour, resulting in some of his most radiant works. Only months later, Macke was killed in action at the Western Front during the First World War, aged just 27. Despite his short life, his paintings remain enduring expressions of optimism, intimacy and the transformative power of colour.

August Macke (1887-1914)

Badende Frauen (recto); Pierrot mit Tänzerpaar (verso)

August Macke (1887-1914)

Spaziergänger (Anlage mit Modegeschäft und Spaziergängern)

August Macke (1887-1914)

In der Tempelhalle

August Macke (1887-1914)

Schlafende Reiter

August Macke (1887-1914)

Segelboot am Morgen

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Auf dem Friedhof von Thun

August Macke (1887-1914)

Schreibende Frau

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Paar im Nachen

August Macke (1887-1914)

Reiter im Wald

August Macke (1887-1914)

Frühlingslandschaft in Tegernsee

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Farbige Formen III

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Zwei Mädchen (orientalischer Entwurf)

August Macke (1887-1914)

Grosser Akt auf rotem Tuch

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Schlucht in Tegernsee

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Porträtstudie Sofie Gerhardt

August Macke (1887-1914)

Stelldichein im Walde

August Macke (1887-1914)

Blumen in weisser Vase II

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Stilleben mit Pfeife und Äpfeln

August Macke (1887-1914)

Abstraktes Muster I

August Mäcke (1887-1914)

Fünf Mädchen an der Altane

Helmuth Macke (1891-1936)

Porträt von Heinrich Campendonk

August Macke (1887-1914)

Weiblicher Akt Nr.2

August Macke (1887-1914)

Akte I: Zwei Mädchen umschlungen

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Krug, Pfeife, Buch und Apfel

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Angler am Fluss

AUGUST MACKE (1887-1914)

Nackte Mädchen in der Barke