This is the first comprehensive publication of selected letters by Walter Leistikow. It covers the years 1889–1908. More than 130 letters by the painter, including 47 that have not been previously published, and papers discovered in private archives, sketch out a multifaceted portrait of Leistikow’s life and works. His texts to well-known contemporaries, such as Edvard Munch, Theodor Wolff, Harry Graf Kessler, Gerhart Hauptmann and Richard Dehmel, transport the reader into the cultural hustle and bustle of Berlin, disclosing enjoyable as well as ordinary events.
In addition to the letters, which are reprinted in their entirety and knowledgeably annotated, the edition offers an essay about the active artistic exchange between Paris and Berlin. One such focus is placed on the Secession in Paris, founded in 1890. Well-known German painters, including Max Liebermann,Walter Leistikow and Dora Hitz, participated in these exhibitions – experiences that substantially contributed to the Berlin Secession. Walter Leistikow’s graphics that were published in the Berlin Secession catalogues enhance this volume of letters.