Common questions about Max Ernst

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was Max Ernst born and when did he die?

Max Ernst was born in 1891 and died on the first of April 1976 at the age of 84 in Paris. He was interred at Père Lachaise Cemetery following his death.

Where was Max Ernst born and where is the Max Ernst Museum located?

Max Ernst was born in Brühl, Germany, and the Max Ernst Museum opened in 2005 in his home town of Brühl. The museum is housed in a late-classicist 1844 building integrated with a modern glass pavilion.

What art techniques did Max Ernst invent and use in his work?

Max Ernst invented the graphic art technique called frottage in 1925, which uses pencil rubbings of objects as a source of images. He also developed grattage, in which paint is scraped across canvas to reveal the imprints of objects placed beneath, and explored decalcomania, which involves pressing paint between two surfaces.

Who were the notable collaborators and partners of Max Ernst throughout his life?

Max Ernst collaborated with Paul Éluard and André Breton on the magazine Littérature and married Luise Straus, Leonora Carrington, Peggy Guggenheim, and Dorothea Tanning. He also worked with Joan Miró on designs for Sergei Diaghilev and maintained friendships with Marcel Duchamp and Marc Chagall.

What happened to Max Ernst during World War II and how did he escape Europe?

Max Ernst was interned as an undesirable foreigner in Camp des Milles near Aix-en-Provence in September 1939 and later arrested by the Gestapo. He escaped to America with the help of Varian Fry and Peggy Guggenheim, arriving in the United States in 1941.

What is the significance of the alter ego Loplop in Max Ernst's art?

Loplop is a bird alter ego that Max Ernst created stemming from an early confusion of birds and humans and a childhood event where his beloved bird died. This figure appeared frequently in his collages and became a recurring motif in his work, including the controversial 1926 painting The Virgin Chastises the infant Jesus before Three Witnesses.