Max Peiffer Watenphul Retrospective at GNAMC in Rome

A major retrospective of Bauhaus painter Max Peiffer Watenphul (Weferlingen, 1896 – Rome, 1976) is on view at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) in Rome until August 23, 2026. Curated by Gregor H. Lersch, director of the Museo Casa di Goethe, the exhibition titled 'Max Peiffer Watenphul. Pittore del Bauhaus' features around 80 works spanning the artist's entire career: from his early years and Bauhaus period (1919–1922) to his Italian landscapes and mature Venetian works. Peiffer studied under Johannes Itten and was influenced by Paul Klee, Vasilij Kandinskij, and Lyonel Feininger. He won the Villa Massimo Prize in 1931, was persecuted by the Nazis (his works were included in the 1937 'degenerate art' exhibition), and fled to Italy in 1937, living between Ischia and Venice. After WWII, he exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1948 and 1950. His painting evolved from figurative modernism toward abstraction, characterized by a physical, tormented engagement with the canvas, often using unusual materials and scratched surfaces. The exhibition also highlights his photography, which he called 'painted photographs.' This is the first project of the Fondazione Max Peiffer Watenphul ETS, established to promote his legacy.