Max Schwimmer, born December 9, 1895 in Leipzig and died March 12, 1960 in the same city, was a German painter, graphic artist, and illustrator. The son of a factory bookbinder, he trained as a seminarian before becoming a teacher. Drafted during the First World War, he returned to Leipzig after the war to study art history and philosophy, beginning his artistic career in the anti-bourgeois cabaret scene and satirical magazines such asThe ActionAndThe Drache.
After traveling to France and Italy, Schwimmer taught at the Leipzig Kunstgewerbeschule. He illustrated more than 25 books, and despite Nazi persecution, which labeled some of his works "degenerate art," he continued his artistic and teaching career. After World War II, he joined the German Communist Party and became a professor at the Leipzig University of Graphic Arts and Book Arts, and later at the Dresden University of Picture Arts until his death.
Max Schwimmer is considered one of the most important Saxon painters of the 20th century. His work is distinguished by its expressive realism, social and political commitment, and lasting impact on German art and illustration.
