author
Max Deri
1878–1938
A sharp-eyed art historian and critic of the Weimar era, he wrote about modern art with a strong interest in psychology as well as style and form. Born in Pressburg and later exiled to Los Angeles, his life traces the upheavals of early 20th-century Europe.
1 Audiobook
Naturalismus, Idealismus, Expressionismus
by Max Deri
About the author
Born Max Deutsch in Pressburg (now Bratislava) on January 3, 1878, he became known as Max Deri and built a reputation as an art historian, critic, and writer. Reference works and biographical databases describe him as an important voice on modern art in the Weimar Republic, and his published work included studies of ornament, 19th-century painting, and contemporary art.
Deri was especially interested in the psychological side of art. Some sources also note his work in psychology and his connection to psychoanalytic circles through his wife, Frances Deri, who later became a well-known psychoanalyst.
He died in Los Angeles on September 2, 1938. His career, stretching from Central Europe to the United States, left behind a body of writing that links art history, criticism, and the inner life of modern culture.