Max Liebermann

– © Barch

“When you come to Berlin, it’s on the left.” This is how the painter Max Liebermann described the location of his home at Pariser Platz 7, directly next to the Brandenburg Gate. This was his city apartment, but it was at his summer residence on the Wannsee where his most famous pictures, flowers and garden views originated. 100 years ago, Max Liebermann (1847-1935) moved into his villa. In 1909, Liebermann, co-founder of the Berliner Secession and descendent of a Jewish textile dynasty, bought one of the last available waterfront properties on the Wannsee as a refuge from the city’s hustle and bustle. He hired the architect Paul Otto Baumgarten to build the house and in 1910, he moved in. When Alfred Lichtwark came around to visit, Liebermann proudly said: “You see, these ten fingers painted everything in two years – the property, house, gardens and furnishings.” In 20 years, Liebermann created more than 200 pictures of his idyllic property, advanced to become the president of Berlin’s Academy of the Arts and was altogether highly respected.
When the Nazis came into power, Liebermann withdrew. The torchlight processions at the Brandenburg Gate prompted him to say the oft-quoted “I could not eat as much as I would like to vomit.”
Liebermann died in 1935 and his house on the Wannsee was used as a hospital and clubhouse. In 2006, the restored villa became a museum – just like his city apartment. The “Brandenburger Tor” foundation has been located here since 2000 and it regularly stages exhibitions.