Hermann Max Pechstein (1881 – 1955) was an expressionist painter and leading member of the art group Die Brücke.
He was influenced by the art of Vincent van Gogh and he started his career as a decorator.
He studied at the School of Applied Arts and at the Royal Art Academy in Dresden and was a pupil of Otto Guzman.
Pechstein is best known for his paintings of nudes and landscapes and his exposure to the works of Henri Matisse and the Fauves led him to use vigorous brush strokes and jarring combinations of unmixed colours.
